U.S., UK Attack Houthis—Houthis Fire Back

The United States and United Kingdom struck at the Houthi movement in Yemen on the night of January 11-12 with missile strikes. U.S. President Joe Biden said American and British forces struck at least 60 targets in 16 locations, including Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. The Houthis claimed there were 72 strikes.

The strikes are a response to the Houthis disrupting maritime traffic in the Red Sea. The Netherlands, Canada, Australia and Bahrain contributed to the strikes.

These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history. These attacks have endangered U.S. personnel, civilian mariners and our partners; jeopardized trade; and threatened freedom of navigation.
—Joe Biden

The targets: According to the U.S., the targets included radar systems, command centers and storage and launch facilities for both drones and missiles. The strikes complicate the Houthis’ attacks: Without radar, it is harder to locate ships.

Retaliation: The Houthis vowed to retaliate. They fired an anti-ship missile at the uss Laboon in the Red Sea, but U.S. aircraft shot it down. The Houthis also said their attacks against merchant ships will continue.

Backed by Iran: The Houthis are an Iran-sponsored Shiite jihadist group controlling large swathes of Yemen. They wouldn’t be able to act in the Red Sea without the green light and technical help from Iran. This disruption of maritime traffic is another facet of Iran’s war with Israel.

How this latest escalation will affect events remains to be seen. But to learn where the Red Sea chaos will lead in the long term, read Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s recent article “The Battle for the Red Sea.”