Initial assessments of Monday’s joint military strikes by the U.S. and UK against Houthi-controlled
areas of Yemen have shown they were successful in degrading the capabilities of
the Houthi forces to launch attacks on international shipping, the Pentagon
said Tuesday.
The strikes marked the second round of precision
attacks by the U.S. and United Kingdom, backed by support from Australia,
Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, in response to a series of aggressions by the
Iran-backed terrorist group against commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
The latest U.S.-led strikes damaged eight Houthi
targets, including an
underground storage site and locations related to the rebel group’s missile and
air surveillance capabilities. These actions follow joint strikes on Jan. 11 by
the U.S.-led coalition targeting command and control nodes, munitions depots,
and various other Houthi military facilities.
The U.S. has also launched several unilateral
strikes against the Houthi targets posing imminent threats to vessels in the
region following the Jan. 11 joint strikes.
In a joint statement, the partner nations said that yesterday’s
precision strikes were intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that
the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners in
response to a series of illegal, dangerous and destabilizing Houthi actions in
the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
While battle damage assessments are ongoing, U.S. defense officials
believe that Monday’s strikes were successful in further degrading Houthi
capabilities.
According to Pentagon officials, Houthi attacks
have led to more than 14 shipping companies ceasing operations in the Red Sea,
severely impacting global commerce and regional economies.
Since mid-November, the Iran-backed group has launched attacks against at least 33 commercial vessels using a a variety of weapons including anti-ship ballistic missiles, land-attack cruise missiles, uncrewed surface vessels and unmanned surface vehicles, officials said.
In a joint statement following yesterday’s strikes, the U.S. and its
partners affirmed that they aim “to de-escalate tensions and restore stability
in the Red Sea,” but warned Houthi leaders that “we will not hesitate to defend
lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical
waterways in the face of continued threats.”
Last week, President Biden candidly acknowledged that defensive military strikes have not been effective in
deterring Houthi attacks. “Are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to
continue? Yes,” Biden told reporters.
Operation Prosperity Guardian, launched by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J.
Austin III, is an international maritime task force involving over 20 nations
to ensure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The operation
is separate from the defensive strikes against the rebel stronghold in Yemen
and operates under the Combined Maritime Forces and Task Force 153, a U.S.
Navy-led initiative