The United States and Britain have carried out a second wave of assaults on 36 Houthi targets in Yemen. These strikes were aimed at further disabling Iran-backed groups that have been attacking American and international interests following the Israel-Hamas war. The attacks were executed by fighter jets and warships in the Red Sea.
The strikes come after an air assault in Iraq and Syria that targeted other Iranian-backed militias and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. This was in retaliation for a drone strike that killed three U.S. troops in Jordan last weekend.
The Houthi targets were located in 13 different locations and were struck by U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and American warships firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea. The U.S. warned that its response would not be limited to one night, one target, or one group.
The Houthis have been carrying out daily missile or drone attacks against commercial and military ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The U.S. and its allies have set up a joint mission to provide air defense for ships traveling through these critical waterways.
The strikes in Yemen are meant to send a broader message to Iran, holding Tehran responsible for arming, funding, and training militias behind attacks on U.S. and international interests across the Middle East.
Video footage shared online shows explosions in Yemen's Houthi-controlled capital, Sanaa, around buildings associated with the Yemeni presidential compound. The strikes also targeted other provinces in Yemen.
In addition to the U.S. and Britain, the military operation received support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.
The U.S. has blamed the drone strike in Jordan on the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Iranian-backed militias. Iran has distanced itself from the attack, stating that the militias act independently.
The Iraqi government has been in a challenging position, attempting to rein in the militias while condemning U.S. retaliatory strikes as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty. Talks are underway between Iraqi and U.S. military officials to wind down the coalition's presence in the country.