The United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK) have carried out a new round of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen as the Iran-backed armed group continues to target commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
On Monday, the US and UK said they had carried out eight strikes, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, targeting a Houthi underground storage site as well as missile and surveillance capabilities, reports Al Jazeera.
“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners,” the joint statement said.
Monday’s strikes came after the Houthis claimed to have conducted a successful attack on the US military cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden.
The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have attacked dozens of ships in the major waterway since November, disrupting international maritime trade and raising concern about the impact on the global economy.
The group has said the attacks are in response to Israel’s war in Gaza and to show their support for the Palestinians.
It carried out more than 30 attacks on international shipping since mid-November, according to the UK’s Ministry of Defence.
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