The US and Great Britain have struck dozens of Houthi militia targets in Yemen
A Yemeni fighter
© AFP
US and British forces said they fired on dozens of targets belonging to Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen on Saturday. A joint statement said “36 Houthi targets in 13 locations in Yemen were retaliated to Houthi attacks on international and commercial ships and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea.” The U.S. regional command responsible for the Middle East, Central Command (CENTCOM), had earlier announced that it had destroyed six missiles that were ready to be launched at the ships.
Yemeni capital Sanaa was also hit, Houthi TV station Al-Masira reported on online service X (formerly Twitter).
Since mid-November, Yemen's Houthi rebels have attacked numerous ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, accusing them of links to Israel. The militants see themselves as part of a self-proclaimed “axis of resistance” directed against Israel, which also includes the radical Islamist Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In response to the attack, the US and Britain launched strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.
The shipping route from the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden is the most important route for world trade and passes directly through Yemen. Many shipping companies are now avoiding sailing through the Red Sea due to Houthi attacks on container ships, leading to delays and increased freight costs due to longer detours.
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