The United States of America (USA) and Great Britain carried out attacks last night on the strongholds of the Yemeni Houthi rebels who have been threatening international maritime traffic in the Red Sea for weeks as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
The attacks were aimed at military sites in several towns controlled by the Houthis, the rebel group's television channel reported.
The cities of Sanaa, Hodeida, Taiz and Sada were targeted.
The US-British operation was carried out "successfully" as a "direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea", US President Joseph Biden said.
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The Houthis, who are close to Iran and control much of Yemen, have carried out 27 missile and drone strikes since Nov. 19 near the strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait that separates the Arabian Peninsula from Africa, according to the US military.
The rebels say they are targeting commercial ships they suspect are linked to Israel, claiming they are acting in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, the scene of a war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that, despite repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis continued their attacks in the Red Sea.
"We took limited, necessary and proportional self-defense measures," said Sunak.
Why are the Houthis attacking ships in the Red Sea?
The Houthi attacks began after the conflict between Israel and Hamas began on October 7.
The Houthis declared their support for Hamas and said they would target any ship traveling towards Israel.
In November, they seized an Israeli cargo ship, and then attacked several commercial ships with drones and ballistic missiles.
Their attacks on Red increased by 500 percent between November and December. They have become such a threat that major shipping companies have stopped operating in the region.
Almost 15 percent of global maritime trade passes through the Red Sea, which is connected to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal and represents the shortest maritime route between Europe and Asia.
Major shipping companies, including Mediterranean Shipping Company, Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and oil company BP, said they were diverting ships away from the Red Sea.
Therefore, international markets have feared that fuel prices will rise and supply chains will be disrupted.
The United States has accused Iran of being involved in planning operations against commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Reactions of Iran and Hezbollah to attacks in Yemen
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani issued a statement stating that the country strongly condemns the US-British attack on Yemen's Houthis, reports Nournews.
"We strongly condemn the military attacks carried out this morning by the United States and the United Kingdom on several cities in Yemen... We believe that this is a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen and a violation of international laws, regulations and rights," said the spokesman of the Iranian ministry.
The militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon also condemned the action. The group, which is one of the few in the region that aligns with Iran, said: "US aggression confirms once again that the US is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza and the region."
Saudi Arabia called for restraint and "avoidance of escalation", and the foreign ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation with "great concern". In recent months, it has been involved in peace negotiations with the Houthis.
Houthi spokesman in Yemen: The target was and will remain the target of Israeli ships and those ships that headed towards the ports of Palestine
The Houthis will continue to target ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea, their spokesman in Yemen, Mohamed Abdel Salam, said today, condemning the "unjustified" US-British attacks on the rebel movement.
"There is no justification for this aggression against Yemen, because there was no threat to international shipping in the Red Sea," said a spokesperson on the X social network.
He added that "the target was and will remain the target of Israeli ships or those ships that headed towards the ports of occupied Palestine".
France again condemned Houthi attacks: The Houthis bear serious responsibility for the escalation in the region
France has again condemned Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, calling on them to stop immediately following attacks launched by the United States and Great Britain on Houthi military targets in Yemen, Reuters reports.
"Through these armed actions, the Houthis bear extremely serious responsibility for the escalation in the region," the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
China and Russia expressed concern over the US and British attacks on the Houthis in Yemen
Moscow also condemned the overnight strikes by the United States of America (USA) and Great Britain in Yemen against the Houthi rebels.
"China is concerned about the escalation of tensions in the Red Sea," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.
The strikes in Yemen are a new example of "complete disrespect for international law in the name of escalation in the region and for the sake of achieving one's own destructive goals," the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, stated on Telegram.
Hamas: We condemn the flagrant US-British aggression against Yemen
American-British attacks on the Houthi rebels in Yemen will have "consequences for regional security", the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas warned today.
"We strongly condemn the flagrant American-British aggression against Yemen. We hold them responsible for the repercussions on regional security," Hamas said on Telegram.
Houthis: Five of our fighters were killed and six wounded in the attacks
Yemen's Houthis have announced that strikes against the movement by the United States and Great Britain will not go without "punishment or retaliation."
The group's military spokesman said the attacks killed five fighters and wounded six others, and that the Houthis would continue to block the passage of ships in the Red and Arabian seas.
Pentagon: This is not part of the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder says the U.S. strikes have targeted specific facilities and facilities intended to disrupt the Houthis — and that they have yet to see any retaliatory action.
"We are, of course, ready to respond appropriately," he added.
Ryderr said it is important to distinguish between what is happening in the war between Israel and Hamas and what is happening in the Red Sea.
"You have Houthi rebels carrying out industrial attacks on international shipping - more than 50 countries have been affected by this, which has affected the economic prosperity of multiple countries. So this is not part of the Israel-Hamas conflict," Ryder said.
The Houthis have previously said they support Hamas and have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea using missiles, drones, speedboats and helicopters since November. According to their claims, the ships are connected to Israel.
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