LONDON, February 4. /TASS/. The third wave of US-UK’s combined strikes on Yemen’s territory is not an escalation, having become a proportionate response to the actions by the rebel Houthi movement, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps said in a statement.
"The Royal Air Force engaged in a third wave of proportionate and targeted strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen. We acted alongside our US allies, with the support of many international partners, in self-defense and in accordance with international law," Shapps said. "This is not an escalation. We have already successfully targeted launchers and storage sites involved in Houthi attacks, and I am confident that our latest strikes have further degraded the Houthis’ capabilities," he added.
The UK’s Ministry of Defense said in a separate statement that British Typhoon fighter jets hit two ground drone control stations on the Red Sea coast west of Sanaa and a significant number of targets at Bani in Yemen’s northwest. The Typhoons employed Paveway IV precision guided bombs, the ministry noted, adding that "the strikes were very carefully planned to ensure minimal risk of civilian casualties."
According to a joint statement from Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, strikes were conducted against 36 targets across 13 locations in Yemen related to the rebel Houthi movement Ansar Allah. The strikes specifically targeted sites associated with the Houthis' deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, and radars, with the aim of the mentioned countries remaining to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, according to the document.
British and American forces used "more than 24 aircraft" to carry out strikes on Yemen, Sky News reported. Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand provided support to the militaries of the United States and United Kingdom.