US & Britain strike multiple Houthi sites in Yemen

Washington: The US and Britain struck sites linked to the Houthi movement in Yemen, in a first since the militant group started attacking ships in the Red Sea last year, Reuters reported.

Reuters cites witnesses from Yemen who confirmed explosions across the country.

On Thursday, US President Joe Biden cautioned that he would not hesitate to carry on with actions in Yemen if needed.

He said that the targeted attacks against Houthi sites in Yemen were a clear message that the United States and its partners would not tolerate attacks on their personnel or allow hostile actors to harm their freedom of navigation.

Britain also issued a statement after the strikes stating that initial results suggest that Houthis' ability to threaten shipping vessels took a blow.

Houthis also confirmed the attacks, which hit Yemen's capital, Sanaa, as well as cities like Saada and Dhamar, along with the Hodeidah governorate. The militant group called the strike "American-Zionist-British aggression."

A US official told Reuters that the strikes in Yemen were carried out by aircraft, ship and submarine. The official confirmed that more than a dozen locations were struck, and the intention was to weaken the Houthi military capabilities.

Houthis, in the name of solidarity with Palestine, started attacks on contained ships in the Red Sea despite international calls and warnings to stop their attacks using missiles and drones.

So far, the militant group backed by Iran has attacked 27 ships to disrupt international commerce on the crucial route that connects Asia and Europe. The route accounts for around 15 per cent of the globe's commercial shipping. Earlier on Thursday, Houthis asserted that no US attack against them would end without a response.