If there are more attacks by the Houthis, U.S. President Joe Biden "would not hesitate to order more operations to defend our troops and businesses." This was said by the spokesman of the National Security Council, John Kirby, at a press briefing aboard Air Force One. "I will make sure to respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior," Biden said.
After weeks of warnings that went unheeded, retaliation has arrived. On the night between Thursday and Friday, the United States and Britain launched 73 raids against Houthi military positions in Yemen who had in turn attacked commercial ships in the Red Sea "linked to Israel" in solidarity, they said, with Palestinians in Gaza. This could be the first act of the much-feared escalation of the conflict in the Middle East: the Yemeni rebels - who, supported by Iran, control a third of the country - have threatened to respond and announced that they now consider all Anglo-American interests in the world "legitimate targets".
The mission, conducted by fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles deployed by Washington and four British RAF Typhoon jets, hit "launch sites for missiles and drones" used against merchant ships in the Red Sea. According to the Houthi spokesman, military positions were targeted in the capital Sanaa and in the governorates of Hodeidah, Taëz, Hajjah and Saada, with a toll of "five fighters dead and six wounded".
The stages of the escalation in the Middle East The raids by the United States and the United Kingdom on the Houthi bases in Yemen are the latest development in a war that since October 7, the day of the Hamas attacks in Israel, has seen a widening of tensions in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Red Sea. (ANSA)
The order to attack came from Joe Bidenafter yet another Yemeni missile on Thursday hit a ship in transit. The American president then explained that he wanted to give a response to the Houthis for having "jeopardized the freedom of navigation in one of the most vital waterways in the world" and that he was ready to "order other operations". We have sent "a strong signal" to the Houthis, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also commented while visiting Kyiv.
Since last November, the former Shiite rebels now in power have launched 27 attacks in the Red Sea, a stretch of sea usually crossed by 12% of global trade: cargo ships have therefore been forced to divert the route that passes through the Suez Canal to the south of the African continent, with repercussions on the timing of supplies, production and rising prices. The latest missile, fired just hours after the raids, fell into the water a few hundred yards from a ship, United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.
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"Our goal remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea," the United States, the United Kingdom and eight of their allies: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said in a joint statement.
Italian government sources said Rome had been asked to sign the same declaration - which it did not sign - but not to participate in the action. While the European Union is considering sending "at least three destroyers or anti-aircraft frigates with multi-mission capabilities" to the Red Sea for at least "a year" with rules of engagement yet to be decided.
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Tehran accused the U.S. and the U.K. of conducting "arbitrary action" and making "a strategic mistake," as did Russia, which denounced "a destructive escalation," calling for an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.
"They want a bloodbath in the Red Sea," Turkish President Tayyip Recep Erdogan also reacted, accusing London and Washington of a "disproportionate use of force." "Concern" was expressed by Saudi Arabia - which since 2015 has led a coalition of Arab countries against the Houthis in favor of an allied government - and by China, which had mediated between the Saudis and Iranians for a ceasefire in Yemen.
An appeal to "reduce instability in the region" also came from Egypt, which is already engaged in an attempt to resurrect an indirect negotiation between Israel and Hamas, and which derives both revenues from commercial transit through the Suez Canal and tourist revenues from the Red Sea.
The stages of the escalation in the Middle East The raids by the United States and the United Kingdom on the Houthi bases in Yemen are the latest development in a war that since October 7, the day of the Hamas attacks in Israel, has seen a widening of tensions in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Red Sea. (ANSA)
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