Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen have launched a fresh round of attacks in shipping lanes critical for global trade, damaging a U.S.-owned commercial ship on Monday after attempting to hit an American warship the day before.
The strikes came just days after the U.S. and British militaries unleashed a powerful barrage on militant sites in Yemen, and the Houthi response made clear how difficult it might prove to remove the threat posed to shipping in and around the Red Sea.
U.S. forces are bracing for a much larger retaliatory attacks from the Houthis, who began targeting ships after the war in the Gaza Strip began and are preparing escalating responses, senior U.S. military officials said.
After the United States and Britain hit more than 60 Houthi targets last week with more than 150 precision-guided munitions, U.S. officials said the militants still retained about three-quarters of their ability to fire missiles and drones at ships transiting the Red Sea. Many of their weapons systems are on mobile platforms and can be readily moved or hidden, the officials said.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak of Britain, nevertheless, said on Monday that the airstrikes had achieved their objectives and showed that Britain was “prepared to back our words with actions.” Speaking in Parliament, Mr. Sunak described the strikes as “limited, not escalatory” and a “necessary and proportionate response to a direct threat.”
Britain’s defense secretary, Grant Shapps, told Sky News: “We never thought that this would remove all of their facilities. That wasn’t the goal. The goal was to send a very clear message.”
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