“US forces carried out an attack against a Houthi radar in Yemen” around 03:45 local time (0045 GMT) on Saturday, according to an army statement.
The United States declared Saturday’s attack to be “a follow-up action on a specific military target” related to the previous day’s attacks.
Houthi media outlets said the attack hit the Al Dailami air base in the capital, Sana’a, controlled since 2014 by the Iran-backed rebel group.
Escalation of the conflict?
These bombings against Yemen heighten fears of a regional conflagration of the war between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The United States, the United Kingdom and eight allies assured that the operation aims to “de-escalate tensions” and “restore stability in the Red Sea” after the numerous attacks by the Houthis in those waters.
The Houthis promised to continue their actions in this important maritime trade route and warned that “all American and British interests have become legitimate targets.”
These rebels have controlled part of Yemen since the outbreak of a civil war in 2014 and are part of the self-proclaimed “axis of resistance”, which includes Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah and other terrorist groups hostile to Israel and supported by Iran.
The activity of these movements in Yemen, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq has increased since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in early October 2023.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on all parties “not to aggravate” the volatile situation in the region, his spokesman said.
The UN Security Council met in an emergency meeting on Friday to address the bombings, days after adopting a resolution demanding the Houthis stop attacking ships in the Red Sea.
Attacks in the Red Sea
The rebel group has been attacking ships allegedly linked to Israel that cross the Red Sea, through which 12% of world trade transits, for weeks, in “solidarity” with the Palestinians in Gaza.
The United States and its allies hit almost 30 positions on Friday and used more than 150 projectiles, reported General Douglas Sims, director of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff.
According to the Houthi television network Al Marisah, they targeted an air base, airports and a military camp. A Houthi military spokesman said at least five people were killed.
US President Joe Biden stated that he does not believe the action left civilian casualties and warned that he “will not hesitate” to order more military operations if necessary.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the Houthis’ violation of international law deserved a “strong signal” in response.
But Naser Kanani, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, a country that supports terrorist groups, estimated that Western attacks will fuel “insecurity and instability in the region” and “divert” attention from Gaza.
Analysts estimate that attacks by Western powers are unlikely to stop the rebels.
“They will reduce, but not end, the Houthi threat to shipping,” said Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Economic cost
Since Nov. 19, the Houthis have launched 27 attacks near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, which separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa, according to the U.S. military.
This instability has led numerous shipping companies to divert ships transiting between Asia and Europe to skirt the African continent, which increases the time and cost of transportation.
Since mid-November, the number of container ships crossing the Red Sea has decreased by 70%, according to shipping experts.
In Sana’a, hundreds of thousands of people, some brandishing Kalashnikov rifles, gathered in a protest where they waved Yemeni and Palestinian flags and held up portraits of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi.
“Death to America, death to Israel,” protesters chanted.
In Tehran, hundreds of people protested against the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel, burning flags of all three countries, and expressed their support for Gaza and Yemen.
Source: With information from AFP
