US and UK Air Forces Strike Houthi Targets Inside Yemen

According to a report in the Associated Press US and British militaries have bombed 60 targets across a dozen sites used by Houthis in Yemen on Thursday. The attacks came in form of warship and submarine launched Tomahawk missiles that coordinated with bombings by US and British fighter jets.

Following these attacks several vessels have reversed course and are now heading for the exit via the Bab Al-Mandab strait. Fearing a ferocious response from the Houthis these shipping lines have changed plans overnight.

U.S President Joe Biden said the strikes were meant signal a message that the US and its allies “will not tolerate” ceaseless attacks on the Red Sea. The action was a result of the failure of attempts at diplomatic negotiations the US statement further added.

“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea — including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” Biden said in a statement. 

Eyewitnesses report strikes in Taiz and Dhamar, cities south of Sanaa.

Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Royal Air Force carried out targeted strikes against Houthi facilities using four fighter jets out of Cyprus.

The goverments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea joined the US and UK in saying that the allies will defend lives and protect commerce in the crucial sea route.

Read More: Red Sea Shipping Sees Largest Aerial Attack So Far; No Damages Reported