US and UK launch new offensive against Houthis in Yemen

The US and UK are launching new strikes against the Houthi rebel group in Yemen.

In the second joint operation in ten days, several locations controlled by the Shia movement were targeted.

During the night between Monday (22) and Tuesday (23), the Prosperity Guardian task force bombed eight Houthi sites, which were hiding “missile and missile systems, air defense systems, radars and weapons storage facilities,” according to a statement.

The attacks were aimed at “weakening global trade and the arsenal used to endanger the lives of innocent seafarers,” the text noted.

Washington and London reiterated their intention to prevent attacks on Western shipping in the Red Sea without opening a new front.

The Houthis have vowed that the attacks will not go unpunished, and Iran has said the US is “making a strategic mistake”.

On January 12, there was another large-scale military operation led by both countries, followed by the United States alone.

Before the new attack, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during a call, “reaffirmed their commitment to freedom of navigation.”

The move is another attempt to curb a string of Houthi attacks that, according to London, have hit more than 30 cargo ships since November and at least 12 in the past 10 days in retaliation for Israeli strikes in Gaza.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron will visit the region in the coming days and is working with the US to impose new sanctions against the Houthis.

Trade Commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis said the EU expressed concern over the measures, which caused “a 22% drop in container traffic in the Red Sea this month”.

According to him, “There are currently no visible impacts on energy or commodity prices, but there are already effects on transport prices.”

To deal with this crisis, following political approval at the last Council on Foreign Relations, Brussels is making the Aspides naval mission operational as quickly as possible.

Italian President and Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani signaled that Rome would be at the forefront of new action with defensive aims: “Italy is an exporting country, so we have an obligation to protect merchant ships and we will do so.”

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