(Web Desk) - The United States and the United Kingdom carried out strikes against an array of Houthi targets in Yemen, according to two US officials, marking the fourth time the international coalition has launched a combined attack on the Iran-backed rebel group.
The US military says it has shot down several Houthi drones.
The strikes hit 18 targets across eight locations, according to a statement from the coalition, including underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter.
Four Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets, supported by two Voyager tankers, participated in the coalition strikes, the British Ministry of Defence said in a statement late Saturday.
This latest round of strikes comes after the Pentagon acknowledged that the Houthis have recently carried out more attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – some of the world’s most critical waterways.
On Thursday, Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh said there had been “an increase in attacks from the Houthis, more consistency” over the past several days.
Those attacks – which the Houthis say are in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza – have caused a massive drop in ships traveling through the Suez Canal.
The passage links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea, allowing ships to cut thousands of miles off shipping routes instead of sailing around Africa. In the first half of February, the Suez Canal experienced a 42% drop in monthly transits and an 82% decrease in container tonnage from its peak in 2023, according to the United Nations.