Washington, D.C. – The U.S. military said Tuesday it conducted a series of air and naval strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The operations were in retaliation for attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who had previously targeted U.S. warships and commercial vessels in the region. The U.S. Navy and Air Force coordinated the strikes against Houthi-controlled areas along Yemen’s coastline and in the capital, Sanaa.
The Attacks on U.S. Forces and Assets
The attacks on Monday and Tuesday are triggered by growing assaults from the Houthi rebels against American naval forces. Houthi militants have made various attacks and released missiles as well as unmanned aerial vehicles directed to U.S. warships and merchant vessels crossing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. American CENTCOM reports confirmed that cruise missiles and UAVs, launched in an attack from over the Red Sea, were also successfully intercepted by American aircraft.
CENTCOM said its forces hit a series of critical Houthi military targets that included missile and UAV launch locations as well as facilities used to facilitate the group’s military operations, including directly being involved in attacking U.S. and commercial shipping.
Houthi Response and Reactions
The Houthi group that controls much of war-torn Yemen swiftly condemned the U.S. strikes. Houthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam labelled the military action as “American aggression” and a blatant breach of Yemen’s sovereignty. The U.S., he said, was providing its support to Israel amid the Israeli-Hamas war.
Abdulsalam said the Houthi attacks were part of a larger regional campaign to express solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The Houthi leadership has previously declared its intention to target Israeli and Western interests in the region, framing their actions as retaliation for the Israeli military’s operations in Gaza.
Details of the Strikes in Yemen
Reports of powerful explosions came from various areas in Sanaa, and some witnesses said the Defense Ministry had been damaged. The U.S. military aircraft and Navy vessels had launched a series of coordinated strikes on several targets in Sanaa. These attacks on Houthi military positions are part of a more general effort by the U.S. and its allied forces to neuter the group’s capacity to interfere with shipping and prevent further missile and drone attacks on international targets.
Wider Consequences for the Region
Houthi attacks on commercial ships and military targets have received significant international attention. As the group continues targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, its actions continue to contribute to instability in the region. A wider regional confrontation is also underway by the Houthi rebels, who have been striking at Israel in support of Palestinians. Their missile and drone attacks reflect the growing complexity of the ongoing conflict and the involvement of multiple regional actors, including Iran, which is known to support the Houthi rebels.
In response to the U.S. attacks, the Houthi movement announced to continue its operations by labeling the U.S actions as part of a broader geopolitical war waged against the movement and its allies, including the state of Israel. The attacks have ratcheted up tensions in the region and raised concerns over the security of global shipping routes.
U.S. Militas Continue its Operations
Despite the rising tensions, CENTCOM clarified that no U.S. military personnel or assets were affected by the strikes. U.S. military forces are also keeping a sharp eye on developments in the area, keeping all units on higher alert in the region. US forces are going to remain locked in this situation with ongoing violence in Gaza and the wider Middle East in anticipation of ongoing activity by the Houthis and other militant groups within the region.
The situation remains fluid, and military experts believe that further U.S. strikes could occur depending on the scale of Houthi provocations in the coming weeks.
The U.S. military’s actions in Yemen underscore the increasingly complex dynamics of the Middle East, where regional powers like the Houthis continue to challenge U.S. and allied interests. The strikes against Houthi targets are part of a broader strategy to safeguard shipping lanes and deter further aggression by the rebel group. However, these actions also highlight the broader geopolitical struggle involving U.S. interests, Iranian-backed militias, and the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
