US officials claim to have hit 16 different locations across Houthi-controlled Yemen with the help of many warships and fighter jets. These sites include the capital of Sana’a and the Red Sea port stronghold of Hudaydah. They were made as a response to the repeated drone and missile attacks on numerous container ships in the Bab al-Mandab Strait along with the Red Sea. This is the first time the US military has intervened in the Red Sea since the beginning of the Houthi assaults on ships in early November. The Houthis reported that at least 5 were killed in the airstrikes.

Four British RAF warplanes flying from Cyprus also claim to have hit two Houthi targets. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also condemned the attacks from Houthi in the Red Sea while describing the airstrikes as “necessary, limited, and proportionate action.” He stated that the UK would “always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade.”

The targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems, and weapons depots. The US President claimed that the US and UK military had successfully launched airstrikes on Houthi targets across Yemen with the help of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands. President Biden stated that the strikes were a clear message of how the US and their allies would not tolerate the Houthis limiting freedom of navigation or attacks on personnel, further adding that he “would not hesitate” to take further military action if necessary.

A Houthi spokesperson said that there was no justification for the attacks, with both the Hezbollah militant group and the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing. The threat from the Houthis has become so alarming that ships have avoided sailing in the region, increasing insurance costs tenfold. Houthi attacks have also grown 500% since November.