UK launches new round of strikes at Houthis in Yemen alongside US | World News

It comes a week after the US and UK launched their first airstrikes on military facilities used by Houthi rebels in Yemen after their attacks on Red Sea vessels.

It is the second time the two allies have conducted retaliatory strikes on an array of the rebels’ missile-launching capabilities.

They used warship- and submarine-launched Tomahawk missiles and fighter jets to take out Houthi missile storage sites and launchers, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The strikes have sparked concerns over a dramatic escalation of tensions in the Middle East.

Tonight’s strikes mark the eighth by the US against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, but is the second alongside the UK.

US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke earlier today.

The White House said: ‘The president and prime minister discussed the importance of increasing humanitarian aid and civilian protections for people in Gaza, and securing the release of hostages held by Hamas.’

The joint operation comes after US and UK warships and jets hit more than 60 targets in 28 locations on Thursday January 11.

That was the first US military response to what has been a persistent campaign of Houthi drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.

For months, the Houthis have attacked ships in the region’s waterways that they say are either linked to Israel or heading to Israeli ports.

They say their attacks aim to end the Israeli air-and-ground offensive in the Gaza Strip that was triggered by the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7 attack in southern Israel.

But any such links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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