US launches fresh strikes on Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen
A US ship fired missiles at a radar site.
The US has struck Houthi rebels in Yemen again and further attacks have not been ruled out.
A US ship fired missiles at a radar site which was carried out to ‘degrade the Houthis ability to attack maritime vessels’ in the Red Sea.
The White House and US military confirmed they expect the Houthis to strike back as President Joe Biden warned the US could retaliate further.
It comes after an apparent Houthi attack on Friday night, which was a missile that landed around 500 metres from an oil tanker in the Red Sea.
The Houthis vowed that the US and UK strikes will not go without ‘punishment or retaliation’, after the two nations carried out airstrikes in Yemen on Thursday night that hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets.
The rebel group said the airstrikes killed at least five people and wounded six.
The US Navy has warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden for the next 72 hours following the airstrikes.
President Biden told reporters in Pennsylvania: ‘We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behaviour along with our allies.’
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Asked if he believes the Houthis are a terrorist group, Mr Biden responded: ‘I think they are.’
The White House confirmed it was considering whether to designate the Houthis as a terrorist organisation in November after they targeted civilian vessels.
The administration formally delisted the Houthis as a ‘foreign terrorist organisation’ and ‘specially designated global terrorists’ in 2021, undoing a move by former president Donald Trump.
Mr Biden pushed back against the idea that he should have sought congressional approval before carrying out the airstrikes.
He said: ‘They’re wrong, and I sent up this morning when the strikes occurred exactly what happened.’
Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia, accused the US, UK, and allies of ‘blatant armed aggression’ against Yemen and warned ‘if the escalation continues, the entire Middle East could encounter a catastrophe’.
But US ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield insisted the attacks were in self-defence.
She said: ‘So de-escalation needs to happen, it needs to happen from the Houthis who are putting all of our shipping lines in jeopardy.’
Iran has also condemned the attacks and the foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said: ‘Arbitrary attacks will have no result other than fuelling insecurity and instability in the region.’
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