US, UK launch enhanced attack on Yemen rebels

The United States and Great Britain launched joint attacks on Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen on Monday, the latest in a series of strikes intended to limit their ability to disrupt 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 who was not authorized to speak publicly told reporters Monday night. Ships and submarines also fired Tomahawk land-attack missiles.

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 assault vessels in shipping lanes, the official said.

The Houthis have launched more than 30 such attacks since November, continuing them even after U.S. warnings and subsequent military action. The rebel group maintains it’s responding to Israel’s invasion of Gaza.

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.

Source » usatoday.com