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NEW DELHI: US President Joe Biden on Friday announced a series of strikes in Yemen targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels to demonstrate that the United States and its allies “will not tolerate” the militant group’s continuous attacks on the Red Sea.
The strikes were carried out after diplomatic negotiations and careful consideration. Biden emphasised that these strikes were in response to the Houthi attacks on international maritime vessels in the Red Sea, including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.
“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” Biden said in a statement.
“These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation,” he added.
The military targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems, and weapons storage and launching locations. Residents in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, reported hearing explosions, while residents in Hodieda and Taiz also witnessed the impact of the strikes.
This marks the first US military response to the ongoing campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier, the White House and partner nations had issued a final warning to the Houthis to cease their attacks or face potential military action. The attacks briefly stopped but resumed with a significant barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea. US and British ships, along with American fighter jets, responded by intercepting multiple drones and missiles. In response to the strikes, the Houthi rebels warned of a fierce military response.
The rebels, who have carried out 27 attacks involving dozens of drones and missiles just since Nov. 19, said Thursday that any attack by American forces on its sites in Yemen will spark a fierce military response.
“The response to any American attack will not only be at the level of the operation that was recently carried out with more than 24 drones and several missiles,” said Abdel Malek al-Houthi, the group’s supreme leader, during an hour-long speech. “It will be greater than that.”
(With agency inputs)
The strikes were carried out after diplomatic negotiations and careful consideration. Biden emphasised that these strikes were in response to the Houthi attacks on international maritime vessels in the Red Sea, including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history.
“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” Biden said in a statement.
“These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardized trade, and threatened freedom of navigation,” he added.
The military targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems, and weapons storage and launching locations. Residents in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, reported hearing explosions, while residents in Hodieda and Taiz also witnessed the impact of the strikes.
This marks the first US military response to the ongoing campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
Earlier, the White House and partner nations had issued a final warning to the Houthis to cease their attacks or face potential military action. The attacks briefly stopped but resumed with a significant barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea. US and British ships, along with American fighter jets, responded by intercepting multiple drones and missiles. In response to the strikes, the Houthi rebels warned of a fierce military response.
The rebels, who have carried out 27 attacks involving dozens of drones and missiles just since Nov. 19, said Thursday that any attack by American forces on its sites in Yemen will spark a fierce military response.
“The response to any American attack will not only be at the level of the operation that was recently carried out with more than 24 drones and several missiles,” said Abdel Malek al-Houthi, the group’s supreme leader, during an hour-long speech. “It will be greater than that.”
(With agency inputs)
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