DThe United States continued its attacks on Houthi rebel positions in Yemen over the weekend. After a joint military strike with Great Britain on Friday night, American forces attacked a radar system on Saturday. According to the Central Command responsible for the region, the warship “USS Carney” fired several Tomahawk-type cruise missiles. The attack on Saturday night was a follow-up operation and was directed against “a specific military target”.
Washington and London bombed positions of the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels for the first time on Friday night. This was in response to the Shiite militia's rocket and drone attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea as a result of the Gaza war. According to government officials in Washington, 90 percent of the targets were destroyed. However, the Houthi rebels still had three quarters of their ability to fire missiles and drones. Only 20 to 30 percent of the offensive capabilities, most of which are mounted on mobile platforms, were destroyed.
President Joe Biden had called the first air strikes “successful” and threatened to follow up if the rebels did not stop their attacks against merchant ships: He would not hesitate to order further measures if necessary. The militia had announced a “strong and effective response” to the airstrikes. Biden said on Saturday that he had sent a confidential message to Tehran. Washington is also well prepared. John Kirby, spokesman for the National Security Council, said Washington had no interest in war with Yemen.
The UN Security Council in New York dealt with the military strike by the American and British armed forces on Friday – before the renewed attack. Russian UN Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya called Washington and London's actions a “blatant armed aggression against another country.” British UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward said her country's armed forces had taken “limited, necessary and appropriate steps in self-defense.”
German participation in EU mission
Biden has been trying for weeks to prevent an escalation of the Gaza war and has been lobbying Israel not to open a second front in the north with Hezbollah in Lebanon. But in the Red Sea he was now forced to intervene militarily. On New Year's Day, the president gathered his security advisers. Given the economic costs of rebel attacks on freighters in the Red Sea, there were fears that American credibility could be damaged. After the meeting, military planning and a diplomatic offensive began. Last week, the UN Security Council condemned the Houthi attacks on merchant ships – Moscow and Beijing made the vote possible by abstaining.
After the Houthis stepped up their attacks and Iran maintained that it had no control over the rebels, Biden's security advisers gathered again on Tuesday. At the end of the meeting in the White House, the President gave the order to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to carry out military strikes.
Meanwhile, it became known on Sunday that the federal government is also planning to take part in a possible European Union mission to secure maritime traffic with a warship. According to a media report, the frigate “Hessen” is scheduled to leave for the Red Sea on February 1st.
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