4 February 2024, 02:40 GMTUpdated 53 minutes agoImage source, UK Ministry of DefenceImage caption, RAF Typhoon FGR4s flew from an air base in Cyprus to take part in the attacksThe Defence Secretary Grant Shapps stated that the recent strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen are not considered as an escalation of the conflict. The Ministry of Defence confirmed that three sites were targeted by RAF Typhoon jets on Saturday night. More than 30 targets were hit in the third wave of joint UK and US attacks on the Iran-backed group.
On Saturday, 36 Houthi targets across 13 locations in Yemen were struck by air strikes from a coalition formed by eight countries. The Houthis have been targeting ships which they claim are linked to Israel and the West, that pass through the important Red Sea trade route. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of the UK stated that recent attacks on UK and international vessels were “unacceptable”. He added that it is the duty to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom. Shapps also mentioned that the latest strikes were not an escalation in hostilities, but rather designed “to protect innocent lives and preserve freedom of navigation”. He expressed confidence that they had “further degraded the Houthis’ capabilities”.
The UK and US attacks were supported by forces from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. The countries released a joint statement, highlighting that their actions were in response to continued attacks on ships in the Red Sea. They specified that their targets were associated with “deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defence systems, and radars”. RAF Typhoon FGR4s flying from RAF Akrotiri military base in Cyprus were responsible for hitting three of the targets, which were “identified using careful intelligence analysis”.
These include two stations – one in As Salif and the other in Al Munirah – that the UK believes were used to control Houthi drones, as well as a “significant” number of targets in Bani. The Ministry of Defence emphasized that the air strikes were “very carefully planned to ensure minimal risk of civilian casualties”. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron stated that the Houthi attacks “must stop”, and the third wave of joint UK and US air strikes on Saturday occurred after “repeated warnings” to the rebel militant group.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin conveyed a message to the Houthis that they will “continue to bear further consequences” if they do not halt their Red Sea attacks. The joint action took place after the US launched its own strikes in Syria and Iraq. Iran, which has previously denied involvement in that drone attack, stated that the strikes “will have no result other than intensifying tensions and instability in the region”. Lord Cameron expressed to Iran’s foreign minister that “you created them, you backed them, you financed them, you provided them with weapons, and you will ultimately be held accountable for what they do”.
The Houthis began attacking merchant vessels last November, citing Israel’s military ground operation in Gaza as their reason. Since then, the group has launched numerous attacks on commercial tankers passing through the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. In response, the US and UK conducted a wave of air strikes against dozens of Houthi targets on 11 January.
