AMN / WEB DESK
The US and UK have conducted a fresh series of joint air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The strikes were carried out with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
These strikes were against eight Houthi targets in response to the Houthis’ continued attacks against international and commercial shipping as well as naval vessels transiting the Red Sea. The Iran-backed Houthis have been targeting ships they say are linked to Israel and the West that travel through the important Red Sea trade route, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
The US and UK said they were trying to protect the free flow of commerce.
American and British forces carried out a first wave of strikes against the rebel group on 11th January , and the US launched further air raids against missiles that Washington said posed a threat to both civilian and military vessels. The strikes destroyed more than 25 missile launch and deployment facilities, it destroyed missiles just as they were being prepared for launch.
The Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense, said strikes hit targets including an underground storage site and Houthi missile and surveillance capability. Its statement added that the aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea . This is the eighth strike by the US against Houthi targets in Yemen. Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron said that the UK wants to see a swift end to the conflict in Gaza and that the UK had sent a clear message and it will continue to degrade the Houthis’ ability to carry out attacks. Yet the Houthis, who are supplied, trained and advised by Iran, are bent on continuing their attacks on shipping they suspect of being linked to Israel, the US or the UK.
Notably, the Houthis are a militant group that has been fighting the civil war in Yemen for a decade now and they are the only terrorist outfit and non-state actor possessing an air-force, navy and army.
Talking to Akashvani corrrespondent, Former Diplomat Sheel Kant Sharma opined, as Houthi step up their attack against commercial vessels, India also looking at the unfolding situation closely and will take appropriate measure.