US and British coalition forces strike Houthi rebel targets in Yemen.

Late on January 11, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III issued a statement on the US-British coalition strikes in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The capital Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida, where AFP correspondents said they heard several explosions, as well as Taiz and Saada were targeted. The strikes were carried out using combat aircraft and Tomahawk cruise missiles, Washington saying it also benefited from support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain. For its part, London said it had deployed four Typhoon FGR4 fighters to strike with laser-guided bombs the sites of Bani and Abbs, from where the Houthis launch drones.

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One of the four RAF Typhoon FGR4 fighters involved in the "punitive operation" takes off from RAF Akrotiri to join the US-led coalition to conduct air strikes against military targets in Yemen (Picture source; British MoD)

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said that ‘’In light of the illegal, dangerous, and destabilizing Iranian-backed Houthi attacks against U.S. and international vessels and commercial vessels from many countries lawfully transiting the Red Sea, today the militaries of the United States and the United Kingdom, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted strikes against military targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. This action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade in one of the world's most critical waterways. Today's coalition action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will bear further costs if they do not end their illegal attacks.

Today's strikes targeted sites associated with the Houthis' unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic and cruise missiles, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities. The United States maintains its right to self-defense and, if necessary, we will take follow-on actions to protect U.S. forces.

Since November 19, the Houthis have launched more than two dozen attacks on vessels, including commercial vessels, creating an international challenge that demands collective action. Today, a coalition of countries committed to upholding the rules-based international order demonstrated our shared commitment to defending U.S. and international vessels and commercial vessels exercising navigational rights and freedoms from illegal and unjustifiable attacks. ‘’We will not hesitate to defend our forces, the global economy, and the free flow of legitimate commerce in one of the world's vital waterways’’, Lloyd J. Austin III stated.

On January 9, there was an incident where American destroyers, a British ship, and combat planes from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower intercepted and shot down 18 drones and 3 missiles. On January 11, the Houthis launched another missile in the Red Sea, causing concerns of potential intervention.

In response to these actions, the United States and the United Kingdom conducted more than 60 targeted strikes against Houthi positions. President Biden emphasized that these strikes were meant to send a clear message that attacks on their troops and interference with freedom of navigation in important trade routes would not be tolerated. Houthi Deputy Foreign Minister Hussein Al-Ezzi has responded with threats, warning that the United States and the United Kingdom would face consequences for their actions.

This situation reflects the ongoing tensions and conflict in the region, with multiple actors involved.

Return of a Typhoon FGR4 at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, after striking military targets in Yemen (Picture source; British MoD)

U.S. submarine-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired to destroy Houthi targets (Picture source: USNI)

(Illustration source: twitter.com/Schizointel / Works cited in Telegraph, The Warzone, Gcaptain, Task & Purpose, SIC Notícias, Visegrád 24')