U.S., UK strike Iran-backed Houthi targets in response to Red Sea attacks

The
United
States
and
the
United
Kingdom
have
“successfully
conducted
strikes”
against
Houthi
targets
in
Yemen,
President
Joe
Biden
said
late
Thursday.

“Today,
at
my
direction,
U.S.
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,”
Biden
said.

The
Iran-backed
Houthi
militia
group
began
their
drone
and
missile
attacks
on
shipping
vessels
and
cargo
ships
traversing
the
Red
Sea
late
last
year,
drawing
global
condemnation.

The
strikes
on
Houthi
targets
were
“in
response
to
continued
illegal,
dangerous,
and
destabilizing
Houthi
attacks
against
vessels,
including
commercial
shipping,
transiting
the
Red
Sea,”
according
to
a
joint
statement
from
the
governments
of
Australia,
Bahrain,
Canada,
Denmark,
Germany,
Netherlands,
New
Zealand,
Republic
of
Korea,
United
Kingdom,
and
the
United
States.

Together
with
Greece,
Singapore
and
Sri
Lanka,
the
nations
make
up
a
coalition,
Operation
Prosperity
Guardian,
that
was
launched
in
December
to
combat
Houthi
attacks.

But
they
did
not
all
participate
in
the
strike:
The
United
States
and
Great
Britain
were
the
only
two
militaries
that
carried
out
the
latest
strikes.
A
senior
administration
official
declined
to
comment
on
why
the
rest
of
the
coalition
members
did
not
take
part.

According
to
a
senior
administration
official,
the
Houthis
launched
about
20
drones
and
multiple
missiles
directly
against
U.S.
ships
in
the
Red
Sea
on
Jan.
9.
It
was
the

largest
attack
yet
on
merchant
vessels
in
the
Red
Sea
and
Pentagon
officials
told
CNBC
at
that
time
that
four
coalition
warships
were
deployed
in
response.

“This
attack
was
defeated
by
the
US
and
UK
naval
forces,”
the
senior
administration
official
said
Thursday.
“We
have
no
doubt
that
ships
would
have
been
struck
and
perhaps
even
sunk,
including,
in
one
case,
a
commercial
ship
full
of
jet
fuel.”

At
least
three
ships
have
been
struck
and
there’ve
been
“extremely
close
calls,”
the
official
said.

“These
reckless
attacks
have
directly
affected
the
citizens
and
cargo
and
commercial
interests
of
more
than
50
countries.”

While
the
latest
strikes
on
the
Houthis
were
“significant”
in
size,
the
U.S.
did
not
expect
them
to
degrade
Houthi
capabilities
entirely,
said
the
senior
administration
official.
“We
would
not
be
surprised
to
see
some
sort
of
response.”

The
Houthis
claim
their
attacks
in
the
Red
Sea
are
in
response
to
the
ongoing
war
in
the
Gaza
Strip.
Israel
launched
a
large
scale
bombing
campaign
in
the
Palestinian
enclave
after
the
brutal
attacks
by
Hamas
militants
on
Oct.
7.

More
than
20,000
people
in
Gaza
have
been
killed
since,
according
to
UN
data
citing
the
Hamas-run
Palestinian
Health
Ministry.

Since
January,
global
shipping
giants
including

Maersk,
MSC, Hapag-Lloyd,
and
CMA
CGM
have
paused
their
shipping
activities
in
the
Red
Sea.

Oil
major
BP
has
also
announced it
would
“temporarily
pause”
all
transits
through
the
Red
Sea.

“These
targeted
strikes
are
a
clear
message
that
the
United
States
and
our
partners
will
not
tolerate
attacks
on
our
personnel
or
allow
hostile
actors
to
imperil
freedom
of
navigation
in
one
of
the
world’s
most
critical
commercial
routes,”
Biden
said.

“I
will
not
hesitate
to
direct
further
measures
to
protect
our
people
and
the
free
flow
of
international
commerce
as
necessary.”

—
CNBC’s
Christina
Wilkie
contributed
to
this
report.