US, Britain launch second major attack on Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen
WASHINGTON — The United States and Great Britain launched joint attacks on Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen Monday, the latest in a series of strikes intended to limit their ability to attack international shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
The strikes targeted eight sites in Yemen at about 4 p.m. Eastern Time, according to a joint statement from the U.S. and its allies and U.S. military officials. Monday’s attack was the most robust since the initial strikes by U.S. and British forces on Jan. 11.
U.S. Navy warplanes from the USS Eisenhower and Royal Air Force fighters took part in the strikes, a senior military official told reporters Monday night. Ships and submarines also fired Tomahawk land-attack missiles, according to the official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
They struck an underground storage site that contained more sophisticated missiles than those destroyed in the initial strikes, the official said. The U.S.-led attacks have degraded the Houthis ability to launch attacks against shipping lanes, the official said.
However, it has not destroyed the stockpile of weapons the Houthis have lobbed into shipping lanes. The Houthis have launched more than 30 attacks on international shipping since November and have continued to do so since Jan. 11. The attacks, they maintain, are in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
The Red Sea route links Asia to Europe through the Suez Canal, though which about 15% of the world's seaborn trade flows. Since the Houthi attacks began, 14 companies have ceased to use the route, opting instead for the longer, more expensive option of sailing around the southern tip of Africa.
Iran has provided equipment and training to the Houthis and other militant groups in the region, the official said.
The Biden administration has sought to contain the fighting to Gaza but increasingly has been drawn into conflicts with Iranian-backed militants such as the Houthis in Yemen and militias that have attacked U.S. and allied bases in Iraq and Syria.
On Saturday, Iranian-backed militias attacked al-Asad Air Base in western Iraq, where U.S. troops are advising Iraqi forces fighting ISIS terrorists. The barrage included ballistic missiles whose explosions caused shock waves that prompted concerns about traumatic brain injuries among U.S. and Iraqi troops.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: US, Britain forces launch second attack on Houthis in Yemen
