US launches fresh strikes against Houthi locations in Yemen

The additional strikes carried out Friday night (Eastern Time) were much smaller in scope than the previous night. They targeted a radar facility used by the Houthis, a US official told CNN.

Confirming the development, US CENTCOm posted on X: "At 3:45 a.m. (Sana’a time) on Jan 13., U.S. forces conducted a strike against a Houthi radar site in Yemen."

"The strike was conducted by the USS Carney (DDG 64) using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles and was a follow-on action on a specific military target associated with strikes taken on Jan. 12 designed to degrade the Houthi’s ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels," the post said.

The US said since November 19, 2023, Iranian-backed Houthi militants have attempted to attack and harass vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden 28 times.

"These strikes have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian, a defensive coalition of over 20 countries operating in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden," the X post said.

The US and the United Kingdom carried out 23 overnight airstrikes against Houthi positions targeting the Yemeni capital Sanaa as well as the provinces of Al Hudaydah, Taiz, Hajjah, and Saada, provincial government officials told Sputnik.

The airstrikes have further triggered the political scenario in the region.

"Your strikes on Yemen are terrorism," Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, was quoted by Reuters, referring to the United States. "The United States is the Devil," he said.

Houthi's Response

The Iran-backed Shia Islamist political and military organisation in Yemen has vowed strong retaliation against the United States and Britain for airstrikes carried out earlier on Friday in areas under their control.

According to a statement from Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea, the American and British forces launched a "brutal aggression," with 73 raids targeting the capital along with the four governorates.

The raids have resulted in the deaths of five people, with at least six injured, said Sarea.

He strongly condemned the strikes and said the Houthis "will not hesitate to target all sources of threat."

He also warned that "American-British aggression will not go unanswered and unpunished."

The spokesman reiterated the Houthis' stance in support of the Palestinian cause, saying the raids "will not deter us from our position in support of the oppression of the Palestinian people."

Additionally, the Houthi representative confirmed the rebel group will continue to prevent Israeli ships from navigating the Arabian and Red Seas.

The Houthis have previously announced their plans to prevent the passage of ships linked to Israeli companies or bound for Israel in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea until the latter's military actions in the Gaza Strip end.