THE US and UK militaries launched strikes against multiple Houthi targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen last Thursday, marking a significant response after the Biden administration and its allies warned that the Iran-backed militant group would bear the consequences of repeated drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
President Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes "in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea."
"Today, at my direction, US military forces - together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands - successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world's most vital waterways," the president said in a statement released by the White House.
Mr Biden added that he will "not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary."
In a statement released at the same time as Mr Biden's, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the Royal Air Force participated in the attacks on "facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen".
Mr Sunak said: "The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade. We have therefore taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence, alongside the United States with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain against targets tied to these attacks, to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping."
In his statement, Mr Sunak blamed the Houthis for "a series of dangerous and destabilizing attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, threatening UK and other international ships, causing major disruption to a vital trade route and driving up commodity prices".
"This cannot stand", he continued, telling the Houthis that "we urge them to cease their attacks and take steps to de-escalate".
The Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping on last Tuesday marked the final straw that culminated in Mr Biden giving the green light for the US to move forward with the strikes, though preparations have been ongoing for some time.
The strikes were from fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles. More than a dozen Houthi targets were fired upon by missiles fired from air, surface, and sub platforms and were chosen for their ability to degrade the Houthis' continued attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, a US official said.
They included radar systems, drone storage and launch sites, ballistic missile storage and launch sites, and cruise missile storage and launch sites.
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