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US and UK hit Yemen’s Houthis in second major assault on Iran-backed groups
- Warships and fighter planes struck 36 targets, including buried Houthi weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers
- The US on Friday bombed other Iran-linked groups in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for an attack in Jordan that killed 3 American troops
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The United States and Britain launched strikes against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday, in the second day of major US operations against Iran-linked groups following a deadly attack on American troops last weekend.
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The strikes hit buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems, launchers and other capabilities the Houthis have used to attack Red Sea shipping, the Pentagon said, adding it targeted 13 locations across the country.
It was the latest sign of spreading conflict in the Middle East since war erupted in Gaza between Israel and Hamas after the militant Palestinian group’s deadly assault on Israel on October 7.
“This collective action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels,” US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the US strikes “will not pass without a response and consequences”.
The Yemen strikes are running parallel to an unfolding US campaign of military retaliation over the killing of three American soldiers in a drone strike by Iran-backed militants on an outpost in Jordan.
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