Furious Houthi forces have vowed to retaliate on a scale “beyond the West’s imagination” after heavy British and American airstrikes last night pounded targets in rebel-held areas of Yemen.
British and American fighter jets and warships launched more than 100 precision missiles at more than 60 targets in Houthi-held territory in Yemen, with the attacks hitting an air base, an airport and a military camp, in a dramatic escalation of the war in the Central East resulted.
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have now vowed to respond to the attacks, with one official saying Britain and the US must “prepare to pay a heavy price” for their “blatant aggression.”
Ali al-Qahoum, a senior Houthi official, vowed retaliation, saying: “The battle will be bigger… beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British.”
Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their foreign ministry, went further, promising: “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a high price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression ‘.
Britain and America launched sea and air strikes in response to months of disruptive attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea by the Houthis, forcing a coalition of countries including Britain and the US to deploy warships to to protect them.
Huthi fighters brandish their weapons during a march in solidarity with the Palestinian people in the Huthi-controlled capital Sanaa on January 11
Images taken of an RAF Typhoon PoOD over Yemen, showing a targeted attack
An RAF Typhoon aircraft takes off to join the US-led coalition to carry out air strikes on military targets in Yemen
One of four RAF Typhoon aircraft returning to RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after joining the US-led coalition that carried out air strikes on military targets in Yemen on Friday
More than a dozen locations were bombed by Western forces in attacks that included submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets.
The attacks hit the Al-Dailami air base north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of Hodeida, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz and an airfield near Hajjah, Al-Masirah news channel said.
Four of Britain’s RAF Typhoons used Paveway IV guided bombs to ‘conduct precision strikes’ on two targets chosen to ‘reduce the Houthis’ ability to violate international law’. They were assisted by an RAF Voyager tanker aircraft.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the airstrikes also targeted sites linked to the Houthi’s unmanned drone, ballistic and cruise missile, coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities.
Officials said the Houthi rebels, who have carried out a series of attacks in the Red Sea to disrupt shipping, had ignored a “final warning” when Mr Sunak signed off on the raids during an emergency Cabinet meeting last night.
Iran has been involved in “every phase” of the Houthi attacks in recent months, a US official added.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, chief negotiator and spokesman for the Houthis, described the US and Britain as having “committed folly in this treacherous aggression.”
“They were wrong to think they would stop Yemen from supporting Palestine and Gaza,” he wrote online.
The Houthi “targeting will continue to impact Israeli ships and vessels bound for the ports of occupied Palestine,” he wrote.
However, since the attacks began in November, the Houthis have begun attacking ships with weak or no apparent ties to Israel, endangering shipping on a key global trade route.
In addition, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, said the strikes were “barbaric.”
And an adviser to the Iraqi Prime Minister, Fadi Al-Shammari, warned on Friday that the West is expanding the conflict between Israel and Hamas and increasing tensions in the region.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accused the Houthis of ignoring “repeated warnings” and said in a statement that the strikes were “necessary and proportionate.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes “targeted locations associated with the Huthis’ unmanned aerial vehicle, ballistic and cruise missiles, coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities.”
A joint statement from the United States, Britain, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said the “goal remains to de-escalate tensions and maintain stability in the to restore the Red Sea’.
“But let our message be clear: we will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways in the face of persistent threats,” the report said.
The Huthis said there was “no justification” for the airstrikes and warned that attacks on Israeli-linked shipping would continue.
‘We affirm that there is absolutely no justification for this aggression against Yemen, as there was no threat to international shipping in the Red and Arabian Seas, and the attacks target Israeli ships or ships bound for the ports of occupied Palestine, affected and will continue to affect. ‘, Huthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
The Houthis have carried out a growing number of attacks on what they consider Israeli-linked ships on the main international trade route since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, sparked by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7.
On Wednesday, HMS Diamond, a £1 billion Type 45 destroyer known as the jewel of the Royal Navy, shot down a series of drones fired by the rebels with a barrage of Sea Viper missiles – traveling three times as fast travel like sound. American fighter jets were also involved in that operation.
Dramatic footage showed the moment the British destroyer shot down the huge wave of missiles and drones fired by the Iran-backed rebels.
An RAF Typhoon aircraft returns to base at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus after striking targets in Yemen on Friday
A map of Yemen including the area controlled by the Houthi rebels
Defense Secretary Grant Shapps called Wednesday’s Houthi attack “the largest yet” and said Britain had taken action to “protect innocent lives and the global economy.” He said none of the crew from HMS Diamond were injured.
The rebels say their attacks are aimed at stopping Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But their targets are becoming increasingly indiscriminate, raising the risk of a US retaliatory attack on Yemen.
The attacks are disrupting maritime trade through the Suez Canal – a crucial route connecting Europe to Asia and the Middle East – causing delays and price increases for consumers.
Wednesday’s attacks by Houthi rebels were the last straw for Britain and the US, with the two countries launching a barrage of attacks in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, also backed by Iran and involved in cross-border fire with Israel, criticized the attacks for showing America as a “full partner in catastrophes and massacres committed by the Zionist entity in Gaza.”
Yemen has been the target of US military action during the past four US presidencies.
Under President George W. Bush, a campaign of drone strikes began to target al-Qaeda’s local affiliate, attacks that have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the US has launched raids and other military operations amid the ongoing war in Yemen.
That war started when the Houthis invaded the capital Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates launched a war in 2015 to support Yemen’s exiled government, quickly turning the conflict into a regional confrontation as Iran backed the Houthis. with weapons and other support.
However, that war has slowed as the Houthis maintain their grip on the territory they control. The UAE even came under Houthi missile fire several times in 2022. After the Emirates left the war, Saudi Arabia reached a Chinese-brokered deal with Iran to reduce tensions in the hope of eventually withdrawing from the war.
However, an overall agreement has yet to be reached, likely prompting Saudi Arabia’s expression of “major concern” over the airstrikes on Friday.
“While the kingdom emphasizes the importance of maintaining the security and stability of the Red Sea region, it calls for restraint and avoidance of escalation,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Iran, which has supplied weapons and aid to the Houthis, condemned the attack in a statement from Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani.
“Indiscriminate attacks will have no effect other than fueling insecurity and instability in the region,” he said.
