US and UK Forces Move to Protect Shipping with Joint Strikes Against Houthis in Yemen

Strikes were carried out by aircraft, ships, and a submarine. File Image / Pixabay

The US and UK have conducted joint strikes against targets in Yemen in response to the recent attacks by Houthis on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

A joint statement from the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States said the "precision strikes were intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of international mariners in one of the world's most critical waterways."

Strikes were carried out by aircraft, ships, and a submarine, a US official told Reuters, while unofficial reports indicate the targets included the capital of Yemen, Sanaa, and the Red Sea port of Hudaydah.

A widely shared post on X, formerly Twitter, by Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada said "American-Zionist-British aggression against Yemen launches several raids on the capital, Sanaa, Hudaydah governorate, Saada, and Dhamar."

A statement issued by the Whitehouse said its aim "remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea" but if comments by Houthi officials are any indication a further escalation in tensions can be expected.

The BBC reports that shortly after the attacks, the Houthis' deputy foreign minister, Hussein al-Izzi, told Yemeni TV channel Al-Masirah that the US and UK will "pay a heavy price" for the "blatant aggression".

As Ship & Bunker previously reported, the strikes follow what was widely seen as a final warning to Houthis issued by the West last week.

The attacks began in November in response to Israel's ongoing military campaign in Gaza.

Following today's attacks, the BBC quoted a senior Houthi as saying "hostile actions" by the US, UK, or Israel will not "distract us from defending Gaza".

The Red Sea attacks have promoted vessel operators to avoid the area and divert their vessels round the Cape of Good Hope, rather than transit via the Suez Canal.

The diversions have had a corresponding impact on the bunker market.