US Launches Fourth Round of Strikes on Houthi Targets in Yemen Amid Escalating Tensions

The United States has initiated a fourth round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, deploying Tomahawk missiles from US Navy vessels to target 14 Houthi missiles believed to be intended for assaults on shipping in the Red Sea. The decision to conduct these strikes comes in conjunction with the US designating the Houthi rebels as “global terrorists.” This reversal of a prior Biden administration decision to remove the terrorist designation is a response to the ongoing Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the region. The Houthis began their attacks in November, citing Israel’s military operation in Gaza as their motivation. The group has continued to launch numerous attacks on commercial tankers navigating the Red Sea, a crucial global shipping lane.

The US and the UK had previously carried out air strikes against Houthi targets on January 11, with support from Australia, Bahrain, the Netherlands, and Canada. These strikes were initiated after Houthi forces ignored an ultimatum to cease their attacks on commercial shipping. The latest round of strikes was deemed pre-emptive, targeting weapons that were set to be imminently launched by the Houthi rebels. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan highlighted the Houthi’s attacks on commercial shipping in the region as the primary reason for designating them as terrorists.

In addition to the strikes, the Houthis recently targeted a US-owned and operated vessel for the second time within a week, using a one-way drone in the Gulf of Aden. While the vessel sustained damage, no crew members were injured. The US officials assert that the strikes were conducted to thwart an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region, exercising their right to defend themselves.

Centcom’s commander, Gen Micheal Kurilla, emphasized the US’s commitment to taking action against the Houthis as long as their actions endanger international mariners and disrupt commercial shipping lanes in the Southern Red Sea, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden. The ongoing conflict in Yemen, which began in 2015, has resulted in significant devastation, with millions of people in need of humanitarian aid. The civil war has triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, leaving more than 160,000 people dead.