U.S. Launches Strategic Strikes in Yemen, Targets Houthi Militant Capabilities
In response to the recent escalation of hostilities, the United States carried out another retaliatory airstrike against Houthi militants in Yemen on Friday, following the large-scale airstrikes conducted on Thursday, as reported by a U.S. official.
The purpose of Friday’s airstrike remained ambiguous, whether it was a continuation of the ongoing effort to degrade Houthi rebels’ capacity to target commercial ships in the Red Sea or a direct response to an earlier anti-ship launch in the Gulf of Aden that posed no immediate threat.
Thursday night saw the U.S. execute strikes on 28 Houthi locations in Yemen, directly linked to the 27 drone and missile attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The strikes utilized Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from U.S. Navy destroyers, alongside British warplanes and U.S. Navy fighter aircraft operating from the USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier.
Houthi officials had previously pledged retaliation against the U.S. in the wake of Thursday’s strikes. President Joe Biden, addressing the press during a trip to Pennsylvania on Friday afternoon, deemed the strikes a “success” and emphasized that the U.S. would persist in responding to the Houthis’ “outrageous behavior.”
In a stern warning issued on Thursday, President Biden made it clear that further measures would be taken if necessary to protect American citizens and maintain the unimpeded flow of international commerce.
U.S. officials on Friday indicated that ongoing assessments of Thursday’s strike suggested a degradation in the Houthi rebels’ ability to launch large-scale attacks. Gen. Douglas Sims, the director of the Joint Staff, noted that the strikes had significantly hampered the Houthis’ capability to execute a major attack similar to Tuesday’s barrage of 21 missiles and drones.
While expressing hopes that the Houthis would refrain from retaliation, Gen. Sims acknowledged the readiness of the U.S. to respond if necessary. He emphasized the potential harm any retaliatory actions could inflict on the region, affecting not only the Houthis but also their associates and collaborators.
Addressing concerns about civilian casualties resulting from Thursday’s strikes, Gen. Sims reassured that the impact was expected to be minimal, given that the majority of targeted locations were situated in rural areas, including missile launchers in mountainous or sparsely populated regions. He underscored that the primary objective of the strikes was to degrade capabilities rather than causing casualties, specifically targeting factors impeding international freedom of navigation in the waters of the region.