12 January 2024 , 11:55
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Terrifying footage has emerged of the moment the US and its allies launched airstrikes on Houthi bases in Yemen, after the rebel group targeted trade ships in the Red Sea.
Attacks pummelled the Yemeni capital of Sana'a, along with the Sa'dah, Hodeidah, Taiz and Dhamar governates. US officials said the strikes were carried out by fighter jets, warships and submarines to send out a "clear message" that the US 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."
The Houthi rebels condemned the "brutal aggression" of America against Yemen and have promised that they will pay "absolutely and without hesitation", in a statement issued by vice president of the Houthi media authority, Nasr Aldeen Amer. "We will not back down from our position in supporting the Palestinian people, whatever the cost," he added from the authority's Sana'a base.
READ MORE: Yemen: Houthi rebels issue chilling threat after UK airstrikes and warn of 'heavy price'
US officials said they will not "tolerate" attacks from "hostile actors" (sky news)Another Houthi official said the rebel group will "discipline them God willing" after accusing "America, Britain and Israel" of launching raids. Leaders of Palestinian militants Hamas and Lebanese militants Hezbollah have also condemned the strikes on Houthi targets in the last hours.
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Houthi rebel leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi promised: "Any American attack will not remain without a response. The response will be greater than the attack that was carried out with 20 drones and a number of missiles."
The Houthis are the armed group from a section of Yemen's Shia Muslim minority, who formed in the 1990s to fight the corruption of Saudi-backed President Ali Abdullah Saleh. Since 2014, the Houthis have engaged in a civil war with the Saudi, UAE and western-supported Yemeni government, which according to the UN had consumed over 377,000 deaths and displaced four million people as of 2022.
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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Houthi attacks on freedom of navigation would not be permitted: "The United Kingdom will always stand up for freedom of navigation and the free flow of trade. We have therefore taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense." According to Biden, the action was supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.
Locals took videos of the terrifying explosions (sky news)A joint statement was released from the governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, United Kingdom, and the United States, stating there would be no hesitation in responding to attacks on their ships. The statement warned that "malign actors would be held accountable should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways".
Britain's Royal Air Force released a video of its strike on Houthi targets (UK MoD)"The Houthis' more than two dozen attacks on commercial vessels since mid-November constitute an international challenge," it added. "Today's action demonstrated a shared commitment to freedom of navigation, international commerce, and defending the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks."
The countries say that "precision strikes" were used to "disrupt and degrade" the Houthis capacity to attack their naval vessels.
Protests against the strikes in New York City's Times Square sparked just hours after Biden confirmed a "successful" bombing of the Yemeni cities. Angry crowds demanded an end to the attacks, while holding placards calling for the US government to stop providing military aid to Israel amid its ongoing invasion of Gaza.
- This article has been amended and originally contained an image of an explosion at a gas station in Sanna, Yemen, in September 2023