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US, UK carry out fresh strikes against Houthis in Yemen's Sanaa: Reports
The raids come a day after US President Joe Biden vowed more military action against Yemen's Houthi forces.
The United States and Britain are targeting the Yemeni capital Sanaa with raids, news agency Reuters reported citing the Houthi movement's TV channel Al-Masirah early on Saturday.
The strikes come a day after US President Joe Biden vowed more military action against Yemen's Houthi rebels if they kept up their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea despite dozens of American and British airstrikes on the Iran-backed group's facilities.
US and British warplanes, ships and submarines earlier this week launched missiles against targets across Yemen controlled by the group, which has cast its maritime campaign as support for Palestinians under siege by Israel in Hamas-ruled Gaza.
"We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behaviour," Biden told reporters.
There were reports of explosions early on Friday, Yemen time, at military bases near airports in Sanaa and Yemen's third city Taiz, a naval base at Yemen's main Red Sea port Hodeidah and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said the airstrikes had targeted the Houthis' ability to store, launch and guide missiles or drones, which the group has used in recent months to threaten Red Sea shipping.
The Pentagon said the US-British assault reduced the Houthis' capacity to launch fresh attacks. The US military said 60 targets in 28 sites were hit.
The Houthis, who have controlled most of Yemen for nearly a decade, said five fighters were killed, but they vowed to continue their attacks on regional shipping.
Day 1 strikes hit over 60 targets
The first day of strikes on Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. The US, however, claimed that another location, a radar site, still presented a threat to maritime traffic, news agency AP quoted an official as saying.
The US Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours after the US and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting Houthi rebels.
Biden's warning came as Houthis vowed fierce retaliation for the US-led strikes, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by Israel's war in Gaza.
Biden also pushed back against some lawmakers, both Democrats and Republicans, who said he should have sought congressional authorisation before carrying out the strikes.
“They are wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened," Biden said.
Why is US targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen?
Since November last year, the Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel's offensive in Gaza against Hamas militants. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel.
The Houthis’ military spokesman, brigadiar general Yahya Saree said in a recorded address that the US strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”
"This action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global trade in one of world's most critical waterways," secretary of defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement following the strikes on Friday.
"Today's coalition action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will bear further costs if they do not end their illegal attacks," he added.
Austin added that the US “maintains its right to self-defence and, if necessary, will take follow-on actions to protect US forces”.
Since mid-November, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have launched more than two dozen attacks against merchant vessels operating in the Red Sea. Such attacks against the vital international shipping lane posed a vital concern and impacted international commerce across the globe, the Pentagon said.
In response, Austin announced the December 18 launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an international maritime task force designed to defend against the attacks.
(With inputs from agencies)
