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Video: U.S. and UK Strike 36 Houthi Targets

FA 18 launch
A strike fighter prepares to launch from the deck of USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Gulf of Aden (USN)

Published Feb 4, 2024 1:40 PM by The Maritime Executive


Yemen's Houthi rebels continue to attempt strikes on shipping in the Red Sea, according to U.S. Central Command, in spite of repeated counterattacks on their supply bases and missile sites. On Saturday, U.S. forces carried out another round of targeted airstrikes on dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen. 

At about 2330 hours on Saturday night, forces from U.S. Central Command and the UK armed forces struck 36 different Houthi targets at 13 locations around Yemen. The strikes were intended to degrade the militant group's ability to attack shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The targets included underground storage facilities, command and control centers, missile systems, UAV storage and operations sites, radars and helicopters.

Central Command emphasized that the strikes are "separate and distinct" from the freedom of navigation patrols carried out by a coalition with a policing function, Operation Prosperity Guardian. This second coalition has overlapping membership, but some of its member nations prefer to remain anonymous and have not joined the strikes. 

"These attacks will not deter us from our moral, religious and humanitarian stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and will not pass without response and punishment," said Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree in a statement immediately after the strikes. 

Houthi anti-ship activity resumed approximately four hours after the large-scale airstrike campaign. At about 0400 hours on Sunday, Central Command's forces carried out a "self-defense" strike against a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile that was prepared and ready to launch against vessels in the Red Sea. At about 1030 hours, a second strike destroyed four more anti-ship cruise missiles.