The US and UK have conducted additional strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen over the weekend, continuing days of military action in response to attacks against ships in the Red Sea. The strikes targeted Houthi weapons and logistics facilities, seeking to degrade the group’s ability to threaten shipping lanes. However, the Houthis have vowed to escalate their own attacks, threatening a new spiral of violence.
Background of the Conflict
Yemen has faced civil war since 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels captured the capital Sanaa and ousted the internationally recognized government. A Saudi-led coalition entered the conflict in 2015 to try to restore the government. The result has been a complex proxy war with disastrous humanitarian consequences.
The Houthis have frequently targeted Saudi Arabia and vessels in the Red Sea with missiles and explosive drones. The United States and allies have occasionally struck Houthi targets deemed threats. Tensions increased recently as the Houthis seized a Emirati-flagged ship, prompting Emirati airstrikes.
Latest Strikes Follow Houthi Attacks Near US Warship
The new US and UK strikes came after the Houthis launched missiles and drones toward the US Navy warship USS Cole on January 31 while it was sailing in the Red Sea. Though no damage was done, it was the closest the Houthis have come to hitting a US vessel. The Cole scrambled defenses and changed course.
Centcom called the targeting of the Cole and commercial vessels “unacceptable.” The US Navy has been on high alert in the Red Sea due to stepped up Houthi attacks aimed at ships over the past year, especially near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait. Coalition air and naval forces have intercepted dozens of Houthi missiles and bomb-laden drones in the area.
US and Allies Strike Two Days in a Row
On February 3, the US and UK struck several Houthi targets, including weapons storage and logistics facilities. New strikes the next day focused on missile launch sites and other military infrastructure. The US said the goal was to degrade the Houthis’ ability to threaten shipping and carry out cross-border attacks.
The UK Ministry of Defense said its Typhoon and Tornado fighter jets conducted strikes coordinated with the Saudis. Secretary Grant Shapps stated they were “not an escalation but a deliberate, targeted and proportionate response” to Houthi aggression threatening international shipping.
Few details were given about specific damage. But the combined naval and air assets brought substantial firepower. The guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut and the guided-missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville took part, along with US Marine Corps Fighter Attack Squadron 232.
White House Vows Attacks Will Continue If Necessary
The White House said it will keep up strikes if the Houthis persist in attacks in the region. “We will continue to take necessary and appropriate measures to defend U.S. forces and interests in the region,” a National Security Council spokesperson stated.
President Biden has made confronting Iran a centerpiece of his Middle East policy. The Houthis are Tehran’s Yemeni proxy force, and the White House aims to deter their disruptive actions.
Asked if the US strikes were a prelude to conflict with Iran itself, press secretary Sarah Matthews said they addressed specific Houthi threats and did not signal a broader escalation or direct clash between the US and Iran.
Houthis Threaten to Expand Attacks
The head of the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council reacted angrily to the strikes, accusing the US and UK of war crimes and urging Yemenis to mobilize. The Houthis’ official media reported 41 dead after the latest attacks.
“We will expand the circle of confrontation…and continue to manufacture weapons,” senior Houthi leader Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi declared Saturday. He said Yemenis face a battle for existence against US “tools of aggression.”
The warning raises the risks that Houthi forces step up rocket and drone attacks into Saudi territory and against coalition naval forces around Yemen. However, their actual military capacity to dramatically intensify operations is uncertain.
| Date | Strikes Conducted |
|---|---|
| Feb 3 | US & UK hit Houthi storage and logistics |
| Feb 4 | US & UK struck missile launch sites and infrastructure |
| Feb 5 | US destroyed inbound Houthi missile |
The Houthis lack strong international backers besides Iran. Still, their threat to commercial and military ships transiting the Red Sea remains worrying. Yemen lies alongside the critical Bab al-Mandab strait linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Over $1 trillion in trade passes through these waters annually.
Risk of Wider Consequences
While the Biden administration currently stresses the strikes are a limited response to Houthi attacks in the area, some analysts warn of unintended escalation. There are concerns strikes could provoke the Houthis into bolder attacks or drag Yemen into deeper conflict between Western powers and Iran.
Former UK prime minister David Cameron tweeted that attacking the Houthis has “rarely ended well.” He cautioned the UK to be “extremely careful before unleashing the dogs of war.”
Indeed the strikes bring uncertain results. But with Iran’s support, the Houthis have increased attacks over the past two years despite Saudi and US retaliatory actions. They show little willingness to halt hostilities and pursue a diplomatic solution in Yemen without significant military pressure.
Halting traffic in the Red Sea would severely disrupt energy shipments and other critical commerce. The US shows signs that it now considers the Houthi threat acute enough to merit stronger action like these waves of strikes. However messy, the emerging Biden doctrine appears to see targeting the Houthis as crucial to ensuring open sea lanes in the region.
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