U.S. leads strikes against Houthis
The U.S. said yesterday that it had destroyed an anti-ship cruise missile that belonged to the Houthis in Yemen. It was the third straight day that the U.S. and its Western allies had targeted Iranian-backed armed groups in the region.
The Houthis have vowed to respond to Western strikes. On Saturday, the U.S., Britain and a handful of allies said they had hit 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations in Yemen — the latest effort to deter the Houthis from attacking ships in the Red Sea.
The U.S. also bombed seven sites in Syria and Iraq that were linked to militias with close ties to Iran, a significant escalation in its use of force. The retaliatory strikes were aimed at Iranian forces and the militias they support, and came after a drone attack in Jordan killed three U.S. soldiers late last month. Yesterday, top U.S. national security officials said President Biden had ordered further retaliatory strikes.
Analysis: The U.S. has refrained from attacking Iran itself, which analysts say is meant to avoid a broader war. Iran has also signaled that it wants to lower the temperature in the region.
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