The United States and the United Kingdom confirmed this Thursday, January 11, that they carried out a joint military action, with support from other countries, against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, after the increase in attacks against ships in the Red Sea. In that area, an American ship was taken by Iran, the Houthis' biggest ally. Previously, a Houthi leader warned that any foreign advance would be met with a retort, while US President Joe Biden said he would not hesitate to take further action.
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A new edge explodes in the Middle East. After tensions rose in recent weeks, when Yemen's Houthis carried out operations against ships in the Red Sea and after the capture of a US ship by Iranians this Thursday, January 11, the United Kingdom and the United States reacted.
As confirmed by the two governments, the green light was given for air strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen. The bombings – carried out from planes, ships and submarines, according to one official – fell on at least six rebel-held Yemeni provinces.
“These attacks are a 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,” said US President Joe Biden in a statement released by the White House.
Since the start of the conflict in the Middle East on October 7, Yemeni rebels, supported by Iran, have claimed to target ships linked to Israel due to its offensive in Gaza. The Houthis have warned that they would raid any ship heading to Israeli ports or sailing off the coast of Yemen.
Biden added this Thursday that he “will not hesitate” to apply more measures to protect people and the free flow of commerce.
For his part, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak explained that the country's Royal Air Force, together with the United States, with non-operational support from the Netherlands, Canada and Bahrain, carried out selective attacks against the Houthis in Yemen.
Among the points attacked by the US and the United Kingdom is the capital Sanaa, where various explosions were heard. Testimonies collected by the EFE agency also recorded air attacks in the regions of Al Hudeidah Saada, Dhamar, Taiz and Hajjah, in the west of the country.
This reaction comes after the possibility of Western countries responding to the Houthi coups in recent weeks slipped.
The ship captured by Iran this Thursday was another factor that led to the detonation of the escalation of tension. From Washington they demanded the immediate release of the oil tanker that was sailing in the Sea of Oman. Iranian authorities responded that this was revenge for the ship taken by the US in 2023.
The State Department said of the St. Nikolas vessel – with a crew of one Greek and 18 Filipinos, which belongs to Greece and sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands – that it was an example of Tehran's obstinacy to “disrupt the International Trade”.
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