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Biden, Sunak confirm airstrikes against Houthis in Yemen: 'I will not hesitate to...'
US and UK military conduct strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
US President Joe Biden on Friday confirmed that US and UK military forces, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, conducted successful strikes against key targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. Biden said that the strikes were aimed at countering the Houthi rebels' actions, which have posed a significant threat to freedom of navigation in the strategically crucial Red Sea.
“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” he said in a statement.
The strikes marked the first US military response to what has been a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. The coordinated military assault comes just a week after the White House and a host of partner nations issued a final warning to the Houthis to cease the attacks or face potential military action.
Jaishankar, Blinken discuss maritime security amid ‘reckless’ Houthi attacks in Red Sea
Biden highlighted that over 50 nations have been affected by 27 attacks on international commercial shipping, with crews from more than 20 countries facing threats or being taken hostage in acts of piracy. More than 2,000 ships have been forced to divert thousands of miles to avoid the Red Sea, resulting in significant delays in product shipping times.
“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.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also confirmed the retaliatory strikes in a separate statement, calling them "necessary and proportionate".
"Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea," Sunak said. “We have therefore taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence, alongside the United States... to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping.”
