US and UK launch strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen

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The US and the UK have carried out military strikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels, in response to the Yemen-based militants’ attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea.

US President Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes in response to “unprecedented Houthi attacks” against international vessels in the Red Sea. Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands also supported the operation.

“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes,” Biden said.

“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary.”

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the attacks were disrupting trade, driving up commodity prices and exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.

“Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea, including against UK and US warships just this week. This cannot stand,” Sunak said in a statement announcing strikes by the Royal Air Force.

The UK’s navy would continue to patrol the Red Sea as part of a multinational operation, he added.

The strikes, which will raise fears of a wider escalation in the region, came after Houthi rebels stepped up their attacks on vessels off the shore of Yemen in the Red Sea, prompting warnings from the US and allies that they would respond militarily.

The Houthis, who control northern Yemen, have become one of the most active factions in Tehran’s so-called Axis of Resistance since the war between Israel and Hamas, which is also backed by Iran, erupted on October 7.

Although Biden has tried to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from metastasising into a regional conflict, the continuing attacks by Houthi militia have forced the White House to recalculate.

Iranian forces on Thursday seized an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, and Houthi forces fired an anti-ship missile from Yemen into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden.

US Central Command said it was the 27th attack by the Houthis on international shipping in the past two months.

“This activity is contrary to international law,” Pentagon press secretary Major General Pat Ryder said on Thursday. “It’s another example of Iranian malign activity threatening security and stability in the region.” Five US and UK naval vessels were in the Red Sea as well as other allied warships, including from France, he said.

More than 100 strikes on US and allied positions have occurred in Iraq and Syria, Ryder said.

Nearly 15 per cent of global sea trade passes through the Red Sea, including 8 per cent of grain trade, 12 per cent of seaborne oil and 8 per cent of seaborne liquefied natural gas.

Many oil tankers and container ships are avoiding the Red Sea route and the Suez Canal, opting instead for a longer — and more costly — voyage around the Horn of Africa.

Crude oil prices rose after the strikes, with international benchmark Brent rising almost 2 per cent to $78.86 a barrel as trading reopened on Friday in Asia, extending gains from the previous session.

Washington has sent hundreds more troops to the Middle East since the start of Israel’s conflict with Hamas in October, and has struck Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for attacks on US bases.

Additional reporting by David Sheppard