U.S. and British warplanes, with support from surface ships and submarines, conducted targeted strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen on Monday night. The purpose of these strikes was to further degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militants, who have been planning attacks on vital shipping lanes in the Middle East.
The strikes targeted multiple locations, including an underground storage facility, missile launch sites, and Houthi surveillance locations. The focus was on disabling weapons systems rather than causing casualties.
A senior military official stated that the underground storage facility contained more advanced conventional weaponry compared to previously targeted sites on January 11.
The United States and the United Kingdom released a joint statement, describing the precise strikes as a response to the Houthi’s unlawful, dangerous, and destabilizing actions. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands also supported the strikes.
The attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea, which carries approximately 15% of global maritime traffic, have significantly impacted trade. To avoid the dangers, major shipping companies have chosen to reroute vessels on the longer and costlier route around Africa.
Monday’s strikes mark the eighth time the U.S. military has targeted Houthi positions in the past ten days, with the United Kingdom participating for the second time since the initial round of strikes earlier this month. A senior military official confirmed that these strikes have effectively disabled the Houthi’s ability to launch attacks.
Since mid-November, the Houthis have carried out 33 attacks on international shipping lanes, raising concerns about a potential escalation of conflicts in the Middle East. The Houthis justify their attacks as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, who have faced Israeli attacks.
The recent increase in attacks on American forces over the weekend has raised concerns about the United States getting involved in a regional war. Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh revealed that there have been 151 attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria since the Hamas terror attack against Israel on October 7, resulting in at least 83 American injuries.
Critics, including Bradley Bowman from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, argue that the limited U.S. military strikes against Iranian-backed targets in the Middle East do not adequately address the ongoing regional conflict. Bowman suggests that the situation should be recognized as a regional war, to varying degrees.
The attacks on ships in the Red Sea by the Houthi militia, aligned with Iran, have disrupted trade between Asia and Europe and raised concerns about an escalating Middle East war. Many of these attacks have targeted ships unrelated to Israel.
In addition to the strikes, the United States imposed sanctions on Fly Baghdad, an Iraqi airline, and its CEO Basheer Abdulkadhim Alwan al-Shabbani, on allegations of providing assistance to Iran’s military wing and proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon.
As tensions continue to rise in the region, it remains to be seen how the situation will unfold and whether further measures will be taken to address the ongoing conflicts.
