The American-led strikes came in response to more than two dozen Houthi drone and missile attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war began.
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Newly recruited Houthi fighters on Thursday in Sana, Yemen.
The United States and a handful of its allies on Thursday carried out military strikes against a wide swath of targets in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, a U.S. official said, in an expansion of the war in the Middle East that the Biden administration, for three months, had sought to avoid.
The American-led strikes came in response to more than two dozen Houthi drone and missile attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea since November, and after warnings to the Houthis in the past week from the Biden administration and several international allies of serious “consequences” if the salvos did not stop.
But the Houthis defied that ultimatum, vowing to continue their attacks in what they say is a protest against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. On Tuesday, American and British warships intercepted one of the largest barrage of Houthi drone and missile strikes yet, an assault that U.S. and other Western military officials said was the last straw.
Britain joined the United States in the strikes against the Houthi targets, the U.S. official said.
The Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain also were expected to participate, providing logistics, intelligence and other support, according to U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters.
It was unclear whether the allied strikes would deter the Houthis from continuing their attacks, which have forced some of the world’s largest shipping companies to reroute vessels away from the Red Sea, creating delays and extra costs felt around the world through higher prices for oil and other imported goods.
The Houthis — whose military capabilities were honed by eight years of fighting against a Saudi-led coalition — have greeted the prospect of war with the United States with open delight. On Wednesday, before the strike, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, the militia’s leader, threatened to meet an American attack with a fierce response.
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Source: nytimes.com
