12 January 2024 , 15:09
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British RAF Typhoon jets destroyed Houthi strongholds during an overnight blitz by the UK and US on Thursday.
The meticulously planned operation saw the aircraft make their way from Cyprus to Yemen and back in hours, refuelling mid-air after they blitzed the targets. However, Yemen's Houthis have said the US-led airstrikes would not go without "punishment or retaliation" as five of their fighters were killed.
The overnight mission does, however, weaken the Iran-backed terror proxy in Yemen. It was the first time strikes had been launched against the Houthis, following months of brutal Red Sea attacks. Rishi Sunak said Britain sent a "strong signal" that the militants' attacks in the Red Sea cannot be carried out with "impunity".
But, after the Ministry of Defence released dramatic footage of the moment RAF Typhoons conducted precision strikes on two key Houthi military targets, Hussein al-Ezzi - a Houthi official in their Foreign Ministry - said: "America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the dire consequences of this blatant aggression."
Ministry of Defence issued this image of a fighter jet today (PA)Timeline of RAF strikes
- 7.30pm on Thursday the RAF Typhoon jets took off with the Voyager aircraft from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus . The planes, which have long range fuel tanks, restocked on fuel mid-air halfway to Yemen thanks to the Voyager.
- 11.30pm they had reached their ideal position, five to ten miles from the targets, and let the bombs drop. The jets, understood to have been hovering at a 35-40,000 feet altitude and shooting horizontally, then headed back to Cyprus.
- 3am they landed in Cyprus after refuelling on the route back.
The Houthis announced that five militants were killed and six injured in the overnight strikes. The group's military spokesman also said that the Houthis would continue to block the passage of ships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. RAF pilots involved in the dangerous mission were part of a carefully planned initiative, which went as intended, with fighter pilots, men on the ground and military commanders behind the scenes pulling together to target the Houthi threat.
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Yemen was hit by missiles in the operation (sky news)A spokesperson for Ministry of Defence said: "Four RAF Typhoon FGR4s, supported by a Voyager air refuelling tanker therefore used Paveway IV guided bombs to conduct precision strikes on two of these Houthi facilities. One was a site at Bani in north-western Yemen used to launch reconnaissance and attack drones. A number of buildings involved in drone operations were targeted by our aircraft.
"The other location struck by our aircraft was the airfield at Abbs. Intelligence has shown that it has been used to launch both cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea. Several key targets at the airfield were identified and prosecuted by our aircraft." Fiery blazes could be seen on the ground and fighters jets fuelled by plumes of fire soared into the night at rapid speed. More than 100 precision-guided munitions were used to bomb the capital, as video captured the enormous explosions.
Houthi rebels have been attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea for weeks. As of Thursday, the Houthis had launched 27 different attacks on vessels transiting the Southern Red Sea, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder said at a Pentagon press conference.