U.S.-Led Multinational Coalition Intensifies Strikes on Sites in Yemen
Reuters
The U.S. and British militaries bombed multiple targets in eight locations used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Monday midnight, Yemen local time. This is the second time the two allies have conducted strikes on a number of Houthi missile-launching centers.
Resounding explosions were heard in the capital, Sanaa. Residents told Sheba Intelligence that the bombings shook their homes and left them in a state of panic as the explosions reminded the population of the Saudi-led Arab coalition strikes, which began in March 2015. The American and British warplanes were heard flying before they launched strikes on sites in the capital, Sanaa.
The U.S. Central Command said in a statement, "U.S. Central Command forces alongside U.K. Armed Forces, and with the support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted strikes on 8 Houthi targets in Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist-controlled areas of Yemen."
A Houthi security source said the strikes hit al-Dailami Air Base north of the capital city, Sarif, northeast of the capital city, and al-Hafa to the south of the city.
According to the statement, the targets included missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, radars, and deeply buried weapons storage facilities.
It added," These strikes are intended to degrade Houthi capability to continue their reckless and unlawful attacks on U.S. and U.K. ships as well as international commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden."
A joint statement by the six countries said, "Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but let us reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in the face of continued threats."
Speaking to reporters on Monday, one senior U.S. military official said the strikes dropped between 25 and 30 munitions and hit multiple targets in each location.
He added that the strikes destroyed more advanced weapons in the underground storage facility, and that was the first time such Houthi-owned advanced weapons were targeted.
On January 12, the U.S. and British warships and fighter jets struck over 60 targets in 28 locations in Houthi-controlled provinces. The strikes are a response to Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea over the last two months.
The Houthi movement said on Monday that its forces had launched a missile attack on an American cargo ship, Ocean Jazz, in the Gulf of Aden. "The Yemeni armed forces continue to retaliate to any American or British aggression against our country by targeting all sources of threat in the Red and Arab Sea," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement.
However, the U.S. military on Monday denied claims made by the Yemeni Houthi movement that it had attacked the American cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden.
"The Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists' report of an alleged successful attack on M/V Ocean Jazz is patently false," the U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. "NAVCENT has maintained constant communications with M/V Ocean Jazz throughout its safe transit."
Last week, Houthi movement chief Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said he will continue to confrontthe American and British aggression, denying that the recent U.S. and U.K. strikes had degraded the group's military capabilities in Yemen.
Houthi forces continue to transfer air defense systems, ballistic missiles, and drone launchers to the coastal areas as they take measures to ensure the protection of their military and security commanders in the capital, Sana'a, military sources told Sheba Intelligence a week ago.
The sources indicated that the measures included digging underground tunnels, similar to the tunnels in the port of Al-Salif in Al-Hudaydah, and equipping the tunnels with an underground operations room where military leaders, including foreign experts, stay.
