The U.S. and Britain launched over 20 strikes on 18 Houthi targets in Yemen late Saturday in reply to the continued Ansar Allah (Houthi) attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The American and British fighter jets hit sites in eight locations, targeting missiles, launchers, rockets, drones, and air defense systems. This is the fourth time that the U.S. and British forces have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since January 12.
Earlier today, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement, "On February 24, at approximately 11:50 p.m. (Sanaa Yemen time), U.S. Central Command forces alongside U.K. Armed Forces, and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand, conducted strikes against 18 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen."
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, "The United States will not hesitate to take action, as needed, to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways." He added, "We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that they will bear the consequences if they do not stop their illegal attacks."
The Houthi group confirmed the U.S.UK strikes. The Houthi-run Saba News Agency said the "American-British aggression" launched 22 raids on the capital, Sana'a, and three governorates. The The aircraft launched 12 raids on the capital, Sana'a, three of which targeted the Al-Aqil factory in the Al-Nahda neighborhood in Al-Thawra District. The aircraft also targeted the Attan area with six raids and three raids on the Al-Nahdain area in Al-Sabeen District.
Two raids hit sites in Hamdan District, three raids on Bani Hashish District in Sanaa, and two raids on Al-Jar farms in Abs District of Hajjah province.
Moreover, strikes targeted the telecommunications network in the Haifan District with two raids, and a raid hit the telecommunications network in the Maqbanah District in Taiz.
The Houthi group denounced the "US-British aggression," vowing to continue its military operation. "The Yemeni Armed Forces affirm that they will confront the US-British escalation with more qualitative military operations against all hostile targets in the Red and Arabian Seas in defense of our country, our people and our nation," it said in a statement.
The U.S. has also been conducting almost daily strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as missiles or drones that were prepared to launch.
Despite the series of airstrikes on Houthi sites in Yemen, the Houthi attacks on ships have not ceased. Today, the group's military spokesperson, Yahyah Sarea, said they hit MV Torm Thor, a U.S.-flagged, owned, and operated oil tanker, in the Gulf of Aden.
He indicated that the group targeted the tanker with "a number of appropriate naval missiles".
"We've certainly seen in the past 48, 72 hours an increase in attacks from the Houthis," Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said in a briefing Thursday. She acknowledged that the Houthis have not been deterred.
She added, "We never said we've wiped off the map all of their capabilities. "We know that the Houthis maintain a large arsenal. They are very capable. They have sophisticated weapons, and that's because they continue to get them from Iran."
The Houthi group has been preparing for escalations in the Red Sea, and they are shifting from conducting special operations to a broad confrontation against the multinational forces in the Red Sea, informed sources told Sheba Intelligence on Thursday.
The Houthi Chief of Staff of the Houthi forces, Major General Muhammad Abdul Karim Al-Ghamari, and the leaders of the missile brigades in the capital, Sanaa, lately held a meeting and decided on the escalation scenario, according to the sources.
According to the sources, the Houthi commanders decided to deploy trained military units in Al-Hudaydah in anticipation of any ground attack by rival forces. They added that Al-Hudaydah has seen unprecedented preparations for war as the Houthi forces have dug tunnels and multiple areas were booby-trapped besides transferring ballistic missiles from the south of Al-Hudaydah to Al-Hawak, a coastal area in the province.
The sources revealed that the drone unit at Al-Hudaydah Military Airport was prepared to carry out multiple attacks, and many booby-trapped boats north of Al-Hudaydah were deployed.
