New wave of US strikes against Houthi militia targets in Yemen. A day after military action by British and American forces against the Iran-backed rebel group, US troops have staged a second coup, albeit on a much smaller scale. This time, according to a senior military commander, they focused on radar systems.
Washington had warned after Thursday's action that it would not hesitate to “take further action” if the Houthis did not stop harassing merchant ships passing through the Red Sea, through which, according to U.S. estimates, about 15% of the United States passes worldwide maritime traffic. In press statements during his visit to Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden himself reiterated that he would order new attacks if the rebel group's hostile actions continued. “We will ensure we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior,” he had noted.
The Yemeni militia had assured that it would respond to the attacks received and this Friday fired a missile at a civilian ship without hitting it.
Unlike the previous day, this Friday's attack, according to the military command, only took place with American participation. Thursday's operation, in which U.S. and U.K. forces supported by the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and Bahrain hit 60 targets at 28 locations in various Yemeni cities, was the first major act of retaliation since the Houthis began harassing merchant ships . In this strike, the United States fired 150 high-precision projectiles fired from F-18 fighters that took off from the Dwight Eisenhower aircraft carrier stationed in the region. The destroyers Gravely and Mason, as well as the cruiser Philippine Sea and a submarine fired Tomahawk missiles.
As tensions, already rising in recent weeks, rise and concerns spread that the war between Israel and the radical Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza could spread throughout the region, the United States asserts that “we have no interest in a war against the Houthis in Yemen, we are not interested in any conflicts. “We want their attacks to stop,” stressed White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.
Since the crisis began in October, one of the US's main goals has been to prevent the conflict from spreading throughout the region. To prevent this, he increased his military presence in the region as a deterrent and launched an intensive diplomatic offensive that took his Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the Middle East four times in three months. Tehran, the rebel group's major protector, has asserted that the attacks are fueling “insecurity and instability” in the region, although it currently appears to have no interest in a direct confrontation to defend its allies.
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The Pentagon is continuing its assessment of the results of Thursday's operation, but noted that those strikes reduced the Houthi groups' ability to fire large waves of missiles like those carried out earlier this week. In Yemen, these militias said five people were killed in the explosions.
“We have reduced their capacity,” said Chief of Staff General Douglas Sims in an interview with reporters. “I don’t think they can throw punches the same way they did the other day.”
On Tuesday, the rebels launched a wave of missiles and drones that the Pentagon said targeted the military ships it maintains in the area to protect commercial transit. As Kirby explained, that was the last straw. After instructing his team to increase diplomatic pressure through public warnings to the Houthis and a United Nations Security Council resolution and to prepare plans for possible military action, Biden decided that day to agree to an attack.
From the military hospital where he is being treated for complications from prostate cancer treatment, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday gave the order for US forces to open fire.
Washington assures that these attacks are purely defensive in nature and should therefore not lead to an escalation of tensions. “This was intended solely to counter the military's ability to undermine international freedom of navigation in international waters, and we believe we did a good job,” Sims noted.
The White House maintains that the military action was carried out in accordance with US legislation and international law. “All [los emplazamientos atacados] “They were valid and legitimate military objectives,” Kirby added.
Some voices in the United States expressed concerns that the conflict could escalate. On “We should be concerned about regional escalation,” said lawmakers who backed the military action on Thursday. “Iran is using groups like the Houthis to fight its battles, to deny its involvement in the matter and to avoid direct confrontation with the United States or others… This must stop, and I hope (Tehran ) got the message” .
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