The British military, along with the United States, has carried out airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, British officials said on the morning of April 30.
This is the first involvement of the British military in a new US air campaign targeting the Iran-backed group.
The UK has offered a detailed explanation for carrying out the attacks, unlike the US, which has given few details about the over 800 strikes it has carried out since the start of the air campaign on March 15.
The operation, dubbed "Rough Rider," is targeting the Houthis as the administration of US President Donald Trump negotiates with the Yemeni rebels' main backer, Iran, over Iran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.
The UK Ministry of Defence said it had attacked "a group of buildings used by the Houthi rebels to manufacture drones used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and the location of the attack was around 25 kilometres south of the capital Sanaa."
According to the Ministry, the attacks involved Typhoon FGR4 aircraft, which dropped Paveway IV bombs. "The attacks were carried out after dusk, when the likelihood of civilians being in the area was lower," the Ministry of Defence said.
British authorities have not provided information on the damage caused by the attacks, nor whether they believe anyone was killed. Meanwhile, the US Central Command has not yet confirmed that this attack was carried out.
"This action was taken in response to the ongoing threat posed by the Houthi rebels to freedom of navigation," said British Defense Secretary John Haley.
"The 55% drop in shipping traffic through the Red Sea has already caused billions in losses, fuelling regional instability and threatening the economic security of families in the UK."
The Houthi rebels - designated a terrorist organization by the US - have reported several airstrikes on Sanaa, the Yemeni capital that the group has controlled since 2014. Other attacks have also been reported around Sanaa.
The British have been participating in airstrikes, alongside the US, since the administration of former President Joe Biden launched an air campaign against Yemeni rebels in January 2024. However, these are the first airstrikes in which Britain has been involved since Trump took office.
The joint British and American airstrikes came after an alleged US strike earlier this week hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The US military said it was investigating the attack.
On April 18, a US strike on the port of Ras Isa, where fuel is stored, killed at least 74 people and injured 171. It was the deadliest attack since the US began its air campaign against the Houthi rebels.
The US has been carrying out airstrikes in Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region, the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea, targeting the Houthis for attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a key route for global trade, as well as for attacks on Israel.
The Houthis are the latest militant group within the so-called "Axis of Resistance," a network created by Iran that includes Tehran's regional armed affiliates. The Yemeni rebels launched the attacks in response to the war between Israel and Hamas, a Palestinian group designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, in Gaza, and Israel's decision to block aid deliveries to the Palestinians.
Pentagon: US has attacked more than 1.000 targets in Yemen since mid-March
The US military has hit more than 1.000 targets in Yemen since mid-March, where Washington is leading airstrikes against the Houthis, the US Department of Defense said last night.
The Houthis, who control large parts of Yemen, have been targeting ships since late 2023 in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by the war between the Palestinian Hamas movement and Israel.
Rebels in Yemen also claim responsibility for missile attacks directly on Israel, which claims to intercept them.
"Since March 15, CENTCOM (US Middle East Command) strikes have struck more than 1.000 targets, killing Houthi rebel fighters and leaders and degrading their capabilities," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
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