The United States and the United Kingdom on Friday carried out strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have increased attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea in recent weeks in “solidarity” with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
The strikes were carried out using combat aircraft and Tomahawk missiles, several American media reported. They benefited from “support” from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, the White House said.
These strikes targeted military sites in several towns controlled by the Houthis, the movement’s television channel, Al Massirah, said. The capital Sanaa and the coastal city of Hodeida, where AFP correspondents said they heard several explosions, as well as Taiz and Saada were targeted.
The American-British operation was carried out “successfully”, in “direct response to the unprecedented attacks by the Houthis on international ships in the Red Sea”, affirmed American President Joe Biden in a press release, referring to a “defensive” action .
He further warned that he “would not hesitate” to “order further measures” if necessary to protect the United States and international trade.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke of “necessary” and “proportionate” strikes.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message (that) the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our troops (and) will not allow hostile actors to endanger freedom of navigation across the of the most important trade routes in the world,” said the American president.
A White House spokesman, John Kirby, said earlier that the United States would do what is necessary “to counter and disarm these threats that the Houthis pose to maritime traffic in the Red Sea.”
“High price”
“Our country is facing a massive attack by American and British ships, submarines and planes,” responded Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Ezzi, quoted by the movement’s media.
“The United States and Great Britain must prepare to pay a high price and bear the heavy consequences of this aggression,” he threatened.
The leader of the rebels, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, had threatened on Thursday to respond to any American attack in the Red Sea with even “more important” operations than the particularly heavy one dating from Tuesday.
Eighteen drones and three missiles were then shot down by three American destroyers, a British ship and by combat planes deployed from the American aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Houthis, close to Iran and who control a large part of Yemen, have increased attacks recently, by missiles and drones in the Red Sea, near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait separating the Arabian Peninsula from Africa.
They say they are targeting commercial ships they suspect of being linked to Israel, claiming to act in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, the scene of a devastating war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas which governs this territory.
In response, the United States had already deployed warships and set up an international coalition in December to protect maritime traffic in this area where 12% of world trade passes.
Some shipowners are now bypassing the area, which has increased transport costs and times between Europe and Asia.
Saudi Arabia, which supports the Yemeni government at war against the Houthis, “follows military operations in the Red Sea with great concern,” said its Saudi Foreign Ministry, calling for “restraint and avoiding violence.” ‘escalation “.
The Red Sea is not, far from it, the only hot spot in the region for the United States, which has firmly supported Israel since the bloody attack by Hamas on October 7 on its territory, which sparked the war.
Since October, American forces in Iraq and Syria have been attacked 130 times, according to the Pentagon.
The United States has around 2,500 troops in Iraq, and 900 in Syria, deployed with the aim of preventing a reconstitution of the Islamic State jihadist group.
Last week, the leader of a pro-Iranian faction was killed in Baghdad by an American strike, which aroused the indignation of the Iraqi government, itself supported by parties close to Iran.
The Iraqi Prime Minister subsequently expressed his “firm” determination to put an end to the presence in Iraq of the international anti-jihadist coalition.