After months of the Houthi terrorizing merchant ships in the Red Sea, the United States and the United Kingdom teamed up to launch a defensive airstrike in Yemen, bombing several areas on Thursday.
According to the U.S. Air Force’s Mideast command, it hit over 60 targets at 16 sites, including “command-and-control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems.”
Houthi reported that five people were killed and six injured during the airstrike, according to The Guardian.
The attack comes after several Republicans pushed for retaliation, stating that the Biden administration needed to take a stance against the terrorist group.
“This is a global crisis brought on by weak presidential leadership,” Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) said on Jan. 4. “It is time for President Biden to allow our regional commanders the freedom of action they need to end terrorist behavior by the Houthis.”
In a statement, Biden wrote that the attack was supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands and that it was a defensive response to Houthi’s violent actions.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” Biden said. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also stated that the attack was necessary and justified due to Houthi’s hostile actions towards merchant ships.
Houthi threatened to retaliate as thousands of supporters lined the streets of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, chanting “Death to America, death to Israel” as they waved Palestinian and Yemeni flags.
🚨🇾🇪 MILLIONS of Yemenis protest and call for war after Saudi Arabia & Qatar opened their airspace for the US & UK to bomb Yemen last night. pic.twitter.com/GfoT2nqmBu
— Jackson Hinkle 🇺🇸 (@jacksonhinklle) January 12, 2024
On the home front, many Americans gathered in Times Square to protest the airstrike as well.
Protesters chant "UK and US can go to hell" in Times Square after Biden bombs Houthis in Yemenhttps://t.co/feQcydWvEzhttps://t.co/feQcydWvEz
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) January 12, 2024
Biden has warned ships displaying American flags to stay away from the areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as a result of the attacks for 72 hours.
