The attack comes a day after U.S. and British raids on the facilities of an Iran-aligned group sparked protests and calls for retaliation.
The United States launched new strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen for the second day in a row after the Iran-aligned group warned it would retaliate for a series of attacks on its facilities.
The US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that Tomahawk missiles were fired from the US Navy’s USS Carney at a Houthi radar site.
He described the attack as a “follow-up action” after the US and UK launched a barrage of land and sea attacks targeting Houthi military sites across Yemen to prevent the group from attacking merchant and military ships in the Red Sea.
On January 13, at 3:45 a.m. (Sanaa time), US forces carried out a strike against a Houthi radar site in Yemen. This strike was carried out by the USS Carney (DDG 64) using Tomahawk land attack missiles and was a follow-up action on a specific military target associated with the strikes… pic.twitter.com/YE5BKJLGBv
– US Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 13, 2024
“I heard these explosions and many people said on social media that they heard powerful explosions in the capital, Sanaa,” said Tel Aviv Tribune’s Mohammed al-Attab, reporting from the capital of Yemen.
Nasreddin Amer, Houthi deputy information secretary, told Tel Aviv Tribune that the nighttime US strike caused no damage or casualties.
“There were no injuries, no material or human losses,” Amer said, adding that the Houthis would return with a “strong and effective response.”
Meanwhile, Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam told the Reuters news agency that the US attack would not deter them from carrying out attacks on ships linked to Israel.
US President Joe Biden warned on Friday that he could order new strikes. “We will ensure we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior.” »
The Houthis say their campaign is part of their support for Palestinians besieged and bombarded by Israeli forces in Gaza over the past three months.
The US Department of Defense said its first night of attacks on Yemen on Thursday evening involved more than 150 munitions fired from US and British “sea and air platforms”, targeting more than 16 sites controlled by Houthi forces. .
The sites attacked included Houthi weapons depots, launch sites, air defense radars, “command and control nodes” and “production facilities,” the department said.
The Houthis, who have controlled most of Yemen for nearly a decade, said five fighters had been killed. They vowed to continue their attacks on regional shipping.
The United States says the Houthis have carried out 27 attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea since they commandeered the Galaxy Leader and its 25-man multinational crew on November 19.
Fear of “overwhelm”
The strikes are the first on Yemeni territory since 2016 and also mark the first military intervention by the United States in response to drone and missile attacks on commercial shipping since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza on October 7.
The Houthi movement, which controls much of Yemen after nearly a decade of war against a Western-backed coalition led by Saudi Arabia, is a staunch supporter of Hamas in its fight against Israel. The war in Gaza has killed more than 23,000 people, including around 10,000 children, and injured more than 60,000 people.
However, not all major US allies have supported the strikes in Yemen. The Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain provided logistical and intelligence support, while Germany, Denmark, New Zealand and South Korea signed a joint statement defending the attacks and warning against further actions.
But Italy, Spain and France chose not to sign or participate, fearing a wider escalation.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis gathered in several cities to condemn the American and British strikes, denounce Israel and reaffirm their support for the Palestinians.
“Your strikes against Yemen amount to terrorism,” said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the group’s political council. “The United States is the Devil. »
The Biden administration had removed the Houthis from the US State Department’s list of “foreign terrorist organizations” in 2021. When asked if he thought the term “terrorist” now described the movement, he said : “I think they are.”