US, UK strikes pound Houthi military targets

WASHINGTON/ADEN — The United States and the United Kingdom launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement's attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a dramatic regional widening of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict in Gaza.

As witnesses in Yemen confirmed explosions throughout the country, US President Joe Biden cautioned in a statement late on Thursday that he would not hesitate to take further action if needed.

The strikes were the first on Yemeni territory since 2016. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who is in hospital due to surgery complications, said in a statement that the strikes targeted Houthi capabilities including drones, ballistic and cruise missiles, costal radar and air surveillance.

A US official said more than a dozen locations were targeted and the strikes were intended to weaken the Houthis' military capabilities, as opposed to being just symbolic.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said in a statement that "early indications are that the Houthis' ability to threaten merchant shipping has taken a blow".

Iran on Friday condemned the attack on the Houthis, warning that it will fuel "insecurity and instability" in the region.

Yemen's Houthi group's highest ruling body, the supreme political council, said on Friday that "all US and British interests are now legitimate targets for Houthi forces".

Russia said it had requested an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the strikes.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday slammed the strikes on Houthi targets as a disproportionate use of force and accused the two Western countries of trying to turn the Red Sea into a "sea of blood".

Oman and Iraq condemned the US-UK strikes, warning of the risk of escalating conflict in the region. Oman was a mediator in attempts to end Yemen's long-running civil war.

Kuwait also expressed "great concern" about the strikes.

Base raids

The Houthis said their attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea are a show of support for the Palestinians and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza.

A Houthi official confirmed "raids" in the capital Sanaa along with the cities of Saada and Dhamar as well as in the Hodeidah governorate, calling them "American-Zionist-British aggression".

Witnesses said the raids targeted a military base adjacent to Sanaa airport, a military site near Taiz airport, a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah and military sites in Hajjah governorate.

The US said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands supported the operation, and sought to present the strikes as part of a broader effort to restore the free flow of trade in a key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15 percent of the world's shipping traffic.

"The concern is that this could escalate," said senior lecturer Andreas Krieg at King's College London, warning of the risk that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could also be drawn into the confrontation.

In a statement after the strikes, Saudi Arabia called for restraint and "avoiding escalation".

The US also accused Iran of being involved operationally in the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, a claim denied by Teheran.

Hours before the US-UK strikes in Yemen, the US military said the Houthis fired an antiship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, two days after the Houthis' largest attack to date.

Prominent US Republicans in Congress welcomed the administration's move, while some in Biden's Democratic Party expressed concerns.

"The US cannot risk getting entangled into another decadeslong conflict without Congressional authorization. The White House must work with Congress before continuing these airstrikes in Yemen," Democratic Representative Mark Pocan said.

Democratic Representative Val Hoyle said these airstrikes have not been authorized by Congress.

"The Constitution is clear: Congress has the sole authority to authorize military involvement in overseas conflicts," Hoyle said."Every president must first come to Congress and ask for military authorization, regardless of party."

Agencies Via Xinhua