In a coordinated military effort, forces from the United States and the United Kingdom conducted a significant joint operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The collaborative strike targeted 36 Houthi positions across 13 different locations within the nation on Saturday.
According to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, these operations were designed to significantly weaken the rebel group’s ability to engage in hostile actions against commercial shipping traversing the crucial maritime lanes off the coast of Yemen.
This latest mission marks the third such collaboration between the U.S. and U.K. in Yemen, with prior operations having occurred on January 11 and 22. In response to those earlier strikes, Houthi forces launched an attack on the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda, which suffered a fire as a result on January 27.
The initiative executed by the U.S. and U.K. also enjoyed backing from a coalition of allied countries, including Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
In a unified statement, spokespeople from each of the coalition countries expressed their collective commitment to de-escalating the ongoing tensions. In a statement, they said, “Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.” They also reiterated their readiness to actively defend the safe passage of ships in one of the globally recognized critical waterways against further threats by the Houthi forces.
Additionally, as part of the same day’s actions, the U.S. forces successfully neutralized six anti-ship cruise missiles deemed an impending threat to Navy vessels in the region. U.S. Central Command identified and destroyed the missiles while they were poised for launch towards naval crafts in the Red Sea, an aggressive move the Houthis have repeated over 30 times since mid-November of the previous year.
The strikes aim to ensure safe navigation within international waters, enhancing security for both U.S. Navy and civilian ships. A statement from the U.S. Central Command underscored these objectives: “This action will protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S. Navy and merchant vessels.”