Attacks By The US In The Red Sea
This picture from the U.S. Navy shows the amphibious attack ship USS Bataan and the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall going through the Bab al-Mandeb strait on August 9, 2023. The head of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East says the Houthi rebels in Yemen are not stopping their “reckless” attacks on civilian ships in the Red Sea. But Vice Adm. Brad Cooper told the Associated Press on Saturday that more countries are joining the international mission to protect ships in the important waterway and that trade is starting to pick up. (By U.S. Navy Mass Communications Spc. 2nd Class Moises Sandoval to the AP)More
U.S. Capitol (AP) — In a massive retaliatory strike on Thursday, the U.S. and British militaries bombed more than a dozen sites in Yemen used by the Iranian-backed Houthis. Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets were fired from warships and submarines, according to U.S. officials.
The Mideast command of the U.S. Air Force said it hit more than 60 targets in Yemen. These included “command-and-control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems.”
He said that the strikes were meant to show that the U.S. and its partners “will not tolerate” the militant group’s constant attacks on the Red Sea. He also said that they didn’t make the move until they had tried to negotiate peacefully and thought about it carefully.
In a statement, Biden said, “These strikes are in direct response to Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea that have never been seen before. For the first time in history, anti-ship ballistic missiles have been used.” He said that the attacks put U.S. soldiers and civilian sailors at risk and hurt trade. He also said, “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
Four blasts were heard early Friday morning in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, by reporters from the Associated Press. Amin Ali Saleh and Hani Ahmed, two people who live in Hodieda, said they heard five loud explosions in the western port area of the city. Hodieda is on the Red Sea and is the Houthis’ biggest port city. AP also talked to people who said they saw strikes in Taiz and Dhamar, which are towns south of Sanaa.
Attacks on commercial ships by drones and missiles have been going on since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. The strikes were the first time the U.S. military did something about it. And the planned military attack comes just one week after the White House and many of its allies gave the Houthis one last warning: stop attacking or else there could be military action. The officials talked about the strikes but asked to remain anonymous so they could talk about military activities. On Thursday morning, members of Congress were told about the plans for the strike.
Attacks stopped for a few days, so it looked like the warning had at least some short-term effect. But on Tuesday, the Houthi rebels fired the most drones and missiles ever at ships in the Red Sea. In response, U.S. and British ships and American fighter jets shot down 18 drones, two cruise missiles, and an anti-ship missile. There was also a ballistic missile fired by the Houthis at a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday. The ship saw the missile but it did not hit it.
In a call with reporters, top military and administration officials said that after the attacks on Tuesday, Biden met with his national security team and was given military response choices. Then he told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is still in the hospital after having surgery for prostate cancer and is having problems, to carry out the retaliatory strikes.
On a different note, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that the Royal Air Force had attacked military facilities that the Houthis were using. Four fighter jets from Cyprus were involved in the strikes, according to the Defense Ministry.
It was brought up that militants have carried out a number of dangerous strikes on ships, and he said, “This cannot stand.” He said that the U.K. and the U.S. took “limited, necessary, and proportionate action in self-defense against targets linked to these attacks, to weaken Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.” The Netherlands, Canada, and Bahrain provided “non-operational support.”
Along with the U.S. and U.K., the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and South Korea said in a statement that they will not hesitate to protect lives and commerce in the important waterway, even though the goal is to lower tensions and bring stability back to the Red Sea.
Russia, on the other hand, asked the U.N. Security Council to hold an emergency meeting to talk about the strikes. France, which is in charge of the council right now, said it would happen Friday afternoon.
The rebels have already launched 27 attacks with dozens of drones and missiles since November 19. They have warned that if American forces hit their bases in Yemen, they will respond with a strong military action.
A very important Houthi leader, Ali al-Qahoum, promised that there would be revenge. “The battle will be bigger… and worse than the Americans and the British could have imagined,” he wrote on X.
A satellite news station run by the Houthis, Al-Masirah, said that strikes happened at 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 airport near Hajjah.
Later on Friday, the Houthis said that the strikes hurt six of their men and killed five.
A top government source said that the U.S. thinks the strikes will weaken the Houthis’ power, but “we would not be surprised to see some sort of response,” even though they haven’t seen anything yet. They said that the US used fighter jets and warplanes from the Navy’s USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and an aircraft carrier. The Tomahawk missiles were fired from a submarine and a Navy cruiser.
The Houthis say they are attacking to stop Israel from going to war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But the targets they are going after have less and less to do with Israel and put at risk a key trade route that connects Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
At the same time, on Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council passed a resolution that told the Houthis to stop their strikes right away and indirectly criticized Iran, which gives them weapons. It was passed with 11 votes in favor and 0 against. Russia, China, Algeria, and Mozambique did not vote.
The fact that Britain took part in the strikes showed that the Biden administration wanted to fight the Houthis with the help of a large international alliance rather than making it look like it was going it alone. More than 20 countries are already part of a maritime effort led by the United States to make the Red Sea safer for ships.
For weeks, U.S. officials wouldn’t say when international patience would run out and they would attack back at the Houthis. This was happening while missiles and drones hit several commercial ships, forcing businesses to think about rerouting their ships.
But on Wednesday, U.S. officials warned again of bad things that could happen.
During a stop in Bahrain, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters, “I’m not going to write down or guess what might happen.” He said that the U.S. had made it clear that “there will be consequences” if things kept going the way they did yesterday. That’s all I have to say about it.
Over the past few months, the Biden administration has been slow to respond. This was due to political concerns and worries about upsetting the fragile peace agreement in Yemen and starting a bigger war in the area. The White House has been careful not to do anything in Yemen that could start a new war because they want to keep the peace.
Read More: In Spite Of Uu Threats, Yemeni Rebels Say They Will Keep Attacking In The Red Sea
However, the coalition warning was issued because of the effects on international trade and the growing attacks. It was signed by the US, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK.
From the Suez Canal to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the Red Sea is an important shipping route for world trade. This river connects Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and is used for about 12% of the world’s trade. It carries oil, natural gas, grain, toys, and electronics, among other things.
Because of the attacks, the US made Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new marine security mission to make the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden safer. About 22 countries are taking part. Warships from the United States and other countries have been traveling back and forth through the narrow strait on a regular basis to keep ships safe and stop attacks. A lot more airborne surveillance has also been done by the alliance.
At least three commercial ships were hit by Houthi missiles in Yemen on December 3. This led to the decision to expand the patrol action.
After the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, the Pentagon sent more troops to the area to stop Iran from making the war a regional one. This was done to stop the Houthis and Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria from doing this.
What do you say about this story? Visit Parhlo World For more.
