MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. The armed forces of the United States and the United Kingdom delivered strikes on positions held by the Ansar Allah (Houthi) rebel movement in Yemen in the early hours of Friday.
Below is a brief summary of those events.
How it all began
- After the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis claimed that they would launch strikes on Israeli territory and would not allow ships associated with it to pass through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave stopped.
- Late on January 11, The Times reporter Steven Swinford wrote on the X social network (formerly known as Twitter) that UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has briefed members of the UK Cabinet "on imminent military intervention this evening."
- The Houthi movement vowed retaliation to any potential attack by the United States and the United Kingdom.
Strikes on Houthi positions
- In the early hours of Friday, the Al Hadath television reported that forces of the United States and the United Kingdom had delivered strikes on positions held by the Ansar Allah movement near the western Yemeni port city of Hudaida
- Explosions were heard in the Yemeni cities of Sana’a, Sa’dah, Hudaydah, Taizz and Dhamar, Al Hadath said.
- In turn, Sky News Arabia reported that Sana’a International Airport was heavily bombed.
- The UK and US military fired Tomahawk land-attack subsonic cruise missiles from their ships in the Red Sea at targets in Yemen, the NBC News television reported citing US officials.
- Al Hadath said that strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen were being delivered by planes, ships and submarines.
- Shortly after, Al Jazeera quoted a US official as saying that the US and the UK have achieved their goals and wrapped up their operation. US and UK forces targeted radars, missile launch sites and coastal observation posts, the official said.
- Friday’s strike targeted more than 10 facilities in Yemen used by Ansar Allah, CNN said citing own sources.
Remarks by Biden and Sunak
- US President Joe Biden said the strike on Yemen was ordered in response to "unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea."
- The US leader said the strikes were performed with the support of Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
- The leaders of the United States and the United Kingdom said the strikes were delivered ‘in self-defense.’
- UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urged the Houthis to stop their attacks on civilian vessels and to take de-escalation measures.
- Washington said further military actions are not ruled out at this point.
Targets of strikes
- The UK Royal Air Force delivered strikes on two Ansar Allah facilities. One was a site at Bani in north-western Yemen used to launch reconnaissance and attack drones, the other was the airfield at Abbs. Both sites were reportedly used to launch both cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea.
- A high-ranking US administration official said the US, the UK and their partners attacked missile storage and launch sites, radar stations and drone facilities. During a media briefing, the official described the damage as "significant," but gave no details.
International response
- A high-ranking Houthi official, Abdullah Ben Amer, told Al Jazeera that the movement would deliver strikes on US and UK bases in the region if London and Washington choose to broaden their military operation.
- London and Washington should prepare to pay a heavy price for their Friday’s air strikes on Yemen, the country's Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein al-Azi said.
- A US administration official said Houthis have made no direct retaliatory measures so far.
- Russia requested an urgent UN Security Council session on the issue.
- Saudi Arabia called upon all parties to show restraint and avoid escalation in the region.