U.S., UK carry out strikes against Houthis in Yemen

미•영, ’홍해 위협’ 친이란 예멘반군 후티 근거지에 공습 시작 American and British military authorities have started strikes against land-based Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the militant group’s rampant assaults on commercial ships in the Red Sea. Lee Eun-jin starts us off. U.S. and UK naval forces in the Red Sea have launched air strikes against Houthi rebel targets across Yemen. According to US officials warship-launched Tomahawk cruise missiles and fighter jets hit more than 12 sites, including in the capital, Sanaa, and the Houthi Red Sea port stronghold of Hudaydah, and the targets included logistical hubs, air defense systems, and arms depots. Just days before the overnight strikes in Yemen, American, and British naval forces shot down 21 Houthi drones and missiles fired toward the southern Red Sea, which was the Houthi’s largest attack to date in that region. Houthi rebels claim they are only attacking ships linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports. But during a White House briefing on Wednesday, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby called the attacks by Yemen-based militants in the Red Sea “unlawful and escalatory“. “So we’ll say it again. These attacks against vessels in the Red Sea pose a direct threat to the lives, to freedom of navigation and to global trade in one of the world’s most critical waterways. And despite what the Houthis may say, they are threatening and targeting commercial vessels with ties to countries all over the world, many of which have no connection to Israel whatsoever. These attacks are unlawful, reckless, and they are escalatory.“ The Houthis have defied calls from the UN and the broader international community to halt their missile and drone attacks on Red Sea shipping routes, as well as warnings from the United States of consequences if they failed to do so. There have been 27 such attacks to date, disrupting international commerce on the key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15 percent of the world’s shipping traffic. The ongoing strikes are one of the most dramatic demonstrations to date of the widening of the Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East since its eruption in October. Lee Eunjin, Arirang News. #UnitedStates #UnitedKingdom #Houthis #Red_Sea #Middle_East #Yemen #US_naval_forces #UK_naval_forces #예멘반군_후티 #홍해_위협 #Arirang_News #아리랑뉴스 📣 Facebook : 📣 Twitter : 📣 Homepage : 2024-01-12, 12:00 (KST)