US strikes Houthis in Yemen and Iran-backed militia in Iraq

The US military carried out strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen and militants in Iraq early on Wednesday, destroying two anti-ship missiles that posed an “imminent threat” to vessels in the Red Sea.

The US said it struck Kataib Hezbollah, a paramilitary group in Iraq backed by Iran, which has carried out attacks on US troops in the country and in neighbouring Syria.

The strikes against the Houthis in Yemen targeted “missiles that were aimed into the southern Red Sea and were prepared to launch”, US Central Command said in a statement. “US forces identified the missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined that they presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the US Navy ships in the region.”

Later on Wednesday, Houthi forces fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles at the US-flagged and owned container vessel Maersk Detroit as it was passing through the Gulf of Aden, the US Central Command said on X. There were no reports of injuries or damage to the ship.

The latest strikes followed another wave against the Iran-backed group on Monday night, which involved British jets as well as US aircraft and warships. The Houthis have been hit with retaliatory strikes over their targeting of Red Sea commerce, which has forced shipping companies to divert traffic from the passageway to the Suez Canal.

The militant group, which controls swaths of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, has carried out a growing number of missile and drone attacks along the key international trade route since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, deepening concerns that the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilise the Middle East.

The Houthis have since declared US and British interests to be legitimate targets.

The UK and US have carried out two rounds of joint air and naval strikes aimed at reducing the Houthis’ ability to target shipping.

On Tuesday British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak warned the Houthis that Britain would not hesitate to bomb Yemen again if attacks on commercial and military vessels continued.

The first wave of strikes, on January 11, involved Royal Air Force Typhoon jets flying to Yemen from Cyprus, American aircraft and naval ships.

Washington launched a series of unilateral air raids before a second wave of attacks 11 days later, also involving four British Typhoons, which dropped Paveway bombs on targets in Sanaa.

In the House of Commons, Mr Sunak insisted military action was working.

He said “maximum care” had been taken to avoid civilian casualties and “initial evidence” suggested the joint operation, which included intelligence and surveillance support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and The Netherlands, had destroyed all its intended targets near Sanaa without killing any civilians.

“We are not seeking a confrontation,” he told MPs.

“We urge the Houthis and those who enable them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks – but, if necessary, the United Kingdom will not hesitate to respond again in self-defence. We cannot stand by and allow these attacks to go unchallenged. Inaction is also a choice.”

The Houthis, who withstood an eight-year-long war with a Saudi-led coalition, are unlikely to be deterred by the latest strikes. The group is part of a network of Iranian-backed militias in the region targeting Israel and US forces since Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza began in October.

The Houthis say they will continue their attacks until the war ends.

The Times