Efe Washington
Washington
Updated Saturday, February 24, 2024-23:41
Red Sea Who are the Houthis and why do they threaten global security?
First attack US and UK launch massive retaliatory bombing in Yemen against the Houthis
The United States and the United Kingdom bombed several positions of the Houthi rebels in Yemen this Saturday, in what represents the
fourth joint operation
of the two nations against that group, according to a joint statement.
The operation hit
18 "targets" in eight
different locations in Yemen, including underground warehouses where the Houthis allegedly keep some of the missiles they use to attack shipping in the Red Sea, according to the statement.
The bombings also hit
air defense systems, radars and a helicopter,
according to the statement signed by the United States, the United Kingdom and the other six countries that supported the operation
(Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and New Zealand).
To know more
Red Sea.
Who are the Houthis and why do they threaten global security?
Editor: ROSA MENESES
Who are the Houthis and why do they threaten global security?
Yemen.
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Editorial: EFE Sanaa (Yemen)
Houthis claim attack on British oil tanker in Red Sea
The attacks come in response to a growing number of attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis against various vessels, including the
launching of missiles against a British cargo ship
and a US destroyer in the Red Sea, as well as against the coastal city of Eilat. in southern Israel.
This is the fourth joint attack by Washington and London against the Houthis.
The first major act of retaliation against insurgents for attacks in the Red Sea took place
on January 12
, hitting 60 targets in Yemen.
Since that first joint bombing took place, the United States has launched several separate attacks against the Houthis, many of them against missiles that, according to Washington, posed
an imminent threat to ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, an Iran-backed militia that controls large areas in Yemen, have carried out
numerous attacks in the Red Sea
and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait against ships they say are linked to or headed toward Israel.
The Houthis claim that their attacks are
retaliation for the offensive that Israel launched on the Gaza Strip
after the attack by the Palestinian group Hamas on October 7, 2023.
The violence has stoked fears that the war in Gaza, where 29,600 people have already died, will escalate into a regional war.
Furthermore, these Houthi attacks could have a great impact on the world economy because almost 15% of global maritime trade flows through the Red Sea.