US and six allied nations launch new round of joint strikes against Houthis

The U.S. and British militaries bombed multiple targets in eight locations used by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on Monday night (Jan. 22).

According to officials, the U.S. and U.K. used warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets to take out Houthi missile storage sites, drones and launchers.

Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, said there were raids on three areas of Sanaa, the capital: al-Dailami Air Base just north of the capital, Sarif, northeast of the city center, and al-Hafa, which is south of Sanaa.

Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed that four Royal Air Force Typhoon jets struck “multiple targets at two military sites in the vicinity of Sanaa airfield” with precision-guided bombs. The strikes, said Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, were “aimed at degrading Houthi capabilities” and would “deal another blow to their limited stockpiles and ability to threaten global trade.”

The latest barrage of allied attacks marks the eighth time the U.S. has conducted strikes on Houthi sites since Jan. 12. And it follows an almost-daily assault on Houthi missile launchers by U.S. fighter jets and ship-based Tomahawks over the past week. The rapid response missions, which officials said go after launchers that are armed and ready to fire, demonstrate the military’s increasing ability to watch, detect and strike militant activities in Yemen.

In a joint statement, The US, the UK, Australia, Bahrein, Canada and the Netherlands said they aimed to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.

The Biden administration has also put the Houthis back on its list of specially designated global terrorists.

For months, the Houthis have attacked ships in the region’s waterways that they claim are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. They say their attacks aim to end the Israeli air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Palestinian Militant group Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel. 

The joint operation comes about 10 days after U.S. and British warships and fighter jets struck more than 60 targets.

The Houthis, meanwhile, have made it clear that they have no intention of scaling back their assault. In the wake of the first U.S. and British joint attack, Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry, said, “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”

The ongoing violence in the Red Sea has prompted companies to reroute their ships, sending them around Africa through the Cape of Good Hope instead — a much longer journey.