The United States launched fresh strikes on targets belonging to the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) early this Saturday, just 24 hours after joint raids with Britain hit several locations in Yemen. Houthi sources stated that they would not allow what they call the American violation of their country, emphasizing that "the response to the attacks will come soon."
According to CNN, a U.S. official reported that the latest strikes in Yemen targeted a radar facility used by the Houthis, indicating that these were far more limited in scope than previous ones and were conducted solely by Washington.
Al Jazeera's correspondent in Sanaa, Mohamed Al-Attab, reported hearing several explosions, particularly in the northern part of the city, following the initial strikes on Houthi sites in Sanaa and other Yemeni provinces by Washington and London, with the aim of weakening the Houthis' capability to launch attacks in the Red Sea.
Al Jazeera's correspondent in Washington, Nasser Al-Hussaini, relayed statements from an American official to various U.S. media outlets, indicating that the strike was highly targeted and limited, focusing on a radar facility in Hodeidah.
Nasr al-Din Amer, the deputy head of the Houthi's media office, said that the group would not allow "the Americans to infringe upon Yemeni sovereignty and that the response to those attacks will come soon," noting that the base hit by the bombing was out of service. Amer added to Al Jazeera that they consider the U.S. presence in the region to be illegitimate, and hence, targeting the U.S. military vessels in the area is justified.
Previously, U.S. President Joe Biden labeled the Houthi group in Yemen as terrorists and warned of a response if they continued the same behavior, according to his words. Biden explained that the strikes were carried out to deter and diminish the Houthis' ability to launch future attacks, stating that the United States is ready to take further action as necessary to counter any threats or attacks.
In response, a member of the political bureau for the Houthis, Hazam Al-Assad, wrote on the X platform saying, "If Washington wants an open war, let it be."
The Houthi group reaffirmed its stance that all American and British interests have become legitimate targets for their forces, "in response to the direct and declared aggression on Yemen."
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on all parties to avoid escalation following the strikes by the United States and Britain on Houthi targets in Yemen. He also urged the nations that protect their ships from Houthi attacks in the Red Sea to abide by international law.
Guterres reiterated—that via his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric—he finds the attacks on international navigation in the Red Sea unacceptable, endangering the safety and security of global supply chains, with negative impacts on the economic and humanitarian situation worldwide.
Khaled Khiari, the Assistant Secretary-General for the Middle East at the United Nations Security Council, later stated, "We are witnessing a cycle of violence that threatens to have serious political, security, economic, and humanitarian consequences in Yemen and the region." He added that recent developments in the Red Sea are concerning as they risk exacerbating regional tensions.
The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, condemned the American and British strikes, describing them as "flagrant armed aggression."
However, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that ships from all countries are at risk from Houthi threats to shipping through the Red Sea. She emphasized that without Iranian support, the Houthis would face difficulties effectively tracking and hitting commercial ships traversing trade routes.
The British Ambassador to the United Nations, Barbara Woodward, considered her country's actions to be limited, necessary, and proportionate in self-defense.
Gulf Cooperation Council countries called for restraint and avoiding escalation concerning the military operations affecting various locations in Yemen.
Jasim Mohammed Al-Badiwi, the Council's Secretary-General, expressed deep concern about the current developments and events in the Red Sea region and the military operations that several sites in Yemen have faced. He stressed the importance of maintaining maritime security and waterway passages in the region, combating activities that threaten the security and stability of the region and the world, including the threat to maritime and international trade routes—calling for restraint and avoiding an escalation that could lead to dire consequences amid the current regional events, and to prevent harm to civilians in Yemen.
Khalifa Alharthy, Oman's Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs for Diplomatic Affairs, commented on the X platform, criticizing the Western world's response to the harm to commercial ships compared to their silence in the face of mass casualties inflicted by Israeli actions against Palestinians.
The strikes come after the United States previously announced the formation of a multinational coalition within what it called "Guardian of Prosperity" operation, which the Houthi group vowed would not stop their operations in the Red Sea, described as being in support of the Palestinian people against Israeli aggression on Gaza.
