In the wake of American bombings in Iraq and Syria against pro-Palestinian militias, London and Washington carried out new strikes in Yemen against Houthi installations still active in the Red Sea.
British and American forces carried out a new series of airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen overnight from Saturday to Sunday.
At least 30 targets were hit on at least 10 sites, according to American officials cited by the media. Earlier on Saturday, US CentCom reported that six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles, launched towards the Red Sea, had been successfully intercepted.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps found it necessary to declare that the latest strikes do not constitute “an escalation” : “We have already successfully targeted launchers and storage sites implicated in Houthi attacks, and I am confident that our latest strikes have further degraded Houthi capabilities.”
The new strikes came just hours after the UN special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in Tehran to discuss instability in the region. to the war on Gaza and the activities of groups supported by Iran.
On Saturday, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the representative of the American embassy to formally protest the American strikes the previous night. The Pentagon claimed to have affected more than 85 targets in Iraq and in Syria; these were allegedly linked to Iranian-backed militias.
US media report that Iraqi officials were warned in advance of the upcoming strikes. Earlier, Baghdad denied receiving any warnings.
Iran-backed groups in Iraq reportaround 16 people killed in their ranks. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights affirms that 23 militants were killed there. Various humanitarian groups are also reporting civilian casualties. According to the USA Today summary, there could be more than 60 dead in the two countries (Iraq and Syria).
Targeted groups confirm their bases have been hit: In Iraq, the “Population Mobilization Forces”, an Iran-backed group, released photos of their ruined official security headquarters in Al Qaim.