A day after dozens of US and UK bombs and missiles rained down on northern Yemen, tens of thousands took to the streets in a show of unity. Yemeni officials downplayed the impact of the Western strikes claiming a small number of casualties and minor infrastructure damage.
On Thursday night, the US and UK fired scores of munitions at Yemen. US Central Command claimed that the strikes “targeted radar systems, air defense systems, and storage and launch sites for one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles.” Washington reports striking 60 targets across 16 locations.
According to the Guardian, British forces hit targets in northwest Yemen, while Americans targeted larger cities including Saada, Saana, and Hodeida. Both the airport and port in Hodeida were reported to be targets. The Port of Hodeida is crucial for commerce and for badly needed aid to reach the country.
On Friday, the Houthis reported the Western strikes had a minimal impact. Yemeni officials reported five fighters were killed and six wounded. The Houthis said damage to their infrastructure was limited but attacks would not go “unanswered and unpunished.”
Nasr Aldeen Amer, vice president of the Houthi Media Authority, stated “Without hesitation, and we will not back down from our position in supporting the Palestinian people, whatever the cost.” At least tens of thousands of Yemenis turned out in multiple cities the day after the strike in a show of unity.
The US and UK are bombing Yemen as a spillover of Israel’s brutal war in Gaza. The Houthis have pledged to stop all Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in an effort to pressure Tel Aviv to end its military campaign against the besieged Gaza Strip.
Washington and London claim the Houthis attempt to block Israeli shipping violates “freedom of navigation” and international law. However, the US has helped Saudi Arabia enforce a blockade of Yemen for about nine years.
President Joe Biden said the strikes serve as “a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most critical commercial routes.”
Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, as reported in Reuters said “We did not attack the shores of America, nor did we move in the American islands, nor did we attack them. Your strikes on our country are terrorism.” He added, “They are terrorists and they are amazing at lying to the people of the world, but the awareness of the Yemeni people is a different awareness. Do you, Yemeni, think that America is defending itself or is it a terrorist?”
Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi Foreign Ministry official, explained that “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression.”
Mohammed Albasha, senior Yemen analyst at the Virginia-based research firm Navanti Group, said the strikes were unlikely to have any long-term impact on the Houthis. “If the strikes successfully targeted drone and missile manufacturing facilities, it could temporarily hinder Houthi capabilities,” he explained. “However, given their adaptability and quick recovery demonstrated throughout the prolonged conflict, the impact may be short-term.”
Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdul Salam, “Our response to the American-British aggression is inevitably coming; this isn’t going to deter us.”
Suggesting the conflict is likely to escalate further, President Biden also threatened future attacks. “I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce, as necessary,” a White House statement issued after the strikes said.
Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.
Here is hoping that Houthis leadership is not stupid enough to believe that they should continue their attacks on international shipping and the US Navy or UK Navy. I know that they are supposed to say that they will to placate their supporters.
You understand nothing of what’s happening.
The Houthis seek an end to the slaughter of Palestinians—nothing more or less. Arab oil producers could turn off the spigot and halt Israel’s genocide in hours, but they refuse, leave this as Yemen’s sole chance.
The Houthis are not going to force the end of the war in Gaza by firing on shipping. That simply not going to happen. The Arabs are not going to shut down their oil production for the Palestinians. The Arabs government’s don’t care. You are the one who does understand the Middle East politics.
The Houthis have explained the simple condition they require for ending their armed response to the slaughter in Gaza: Stop the slaughter in Gaza.
They have demonstrated that they mean what they say by ceasing the armed response during the brief truce. If you want to be useful, spend your time and energy encouraging the mad savages running Israel to stop the genocide.
Well if the Houthis stick to their conditions for stopping their attacks on US/UK warships and international shipping they are going to pay a heavy price in asset destruction and loss of life. Their choice.
If you want to be useful, spend your time getting Hamas to release the hostages and surrender. That is the fast way to stop the war in Gaza.
I’m sure the Houthis are well aware of the likely, and possible, costs of their actions.
The Palestinian resistance, in its various forms, has repeatedly agreed to major compromise in an effort to achieve a sustainable arrangement with Israel. But it has never surrendered, no matter how brutally Israel has treated the Palestinian people. I’m pretty sure that Tel Aviv’s current genocidal onslaught is making surrender not merely more unlikely than ever before but simply unimaginable.
That is their choice. I’m sure Hamas leadership would rather get 10,000s of their people killed than release the hostages and/or surrender. Hamas thinks that they won a great victory on Oct 7. Sure they won the battle that day, but the cost is piling up.
“I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people
and the free flow of international commerce, as necessary,…”
Biden’s lies are endless. Endless. “Our people” are not in danger. Nor is this stopping the “free flow of international commerce” but rather shipping specifically to and from Israel or under its flag, in order to halt Israel’s genocide of the 2,200,000 million human beings including the 1,000,000 children it holds in the concentration camp that is Gaza.
“Our people” are not in danger. Tell that to the sailors abroad the US Navy ships that the Houthis have fired on. Also, the Houthis fire on ships that no or very little connection to Israel. Such as the British owned Unity Explorer who’s only connection to Israel is that one of the persons working for the company is from Israel.
“Tell that to the sailors abroad the US Navy ships that the Houthis have fired on”
You’re absolutely right. Biden should order those ships out of harm’s way and back to US waters where they belong.
That’s what they should’ve done before in the name of peace instead of attacking the fking ships.
I’m paraphrasing Aaron Maté: “Yemen is actually conducting a Humanitarian Intervention to stop Israel’s genocide of Palestinians.”
By attacking innocent shipping and trying to kill crew members from countries that have nothing to do with Israel. That is weird definition of “Humanitaran Intervention”. I
Nobody has been hurt yet except for 5 Yemenis killed by the yanks you ignoramus
Well, it looks like the next step in heading to WWIII. Wash. and Tel Aviv have been itching for war for a long time now, and it looks like that’s where the world is going. Bibi must think his God is going to get the USA to do Israel’s dirty work with no skin off his nose, but not the skin off the Israeli people’s or the Palestinians. And, this time the war WILL come to the American People who can do NOTHING to stop it. See what gov. does?
“A state, is called the coldest of all cold monsters. Coldly lieth it also; and this lie creepeth from its mouth: “I, the state, am the people.” It is a lie! Creators were they who created peoples, and hung a faith and a love over them: thus they served life.
Destroyers, are they who lay snares for many, and call it the state: they hang a sword and a hundred cravings over them. Where
there is still a people, there the state is not understood, but hated
as the evil eye, and as sin against laws and customs.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche,
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
“tens of thousands”? Not from the pictures I saw – it looked more like millions.
This is a must-watch video from Max Blumenthal and Aaron Mate: