US, Houthi Rebels in Yemen Also Conduct Airstrikes After 'US Troop Death' Retaliatory Attack

by Jeong Donghoon

Published 04 Feb.2024 09:14(KST)

On the 22nd (local time), a fighter jet took off from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier operating in the Red Sea. On this day, the US and British forces announced that they conducted a second joint airstrike against the Yemen Houthi rebels supported by Iran.
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

The U.S. military, retaliating against the pro-Iran armed forces' attack on the U.S. military base in Jordan, conducted airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels on the 3rd (local time) together with the British military.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin issued a statement saying, "The Iran-backed Houthi militia is carrying out reckless and destabilizing attacks on U.S. and international vessels passing through the Red Sea," adding, "This airstrike aims to degrade the Houthis' attack capabilities."

The airstrikes targeted weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, and air defense systems located in 13 areas. It is reported that there were at least 30 targets.

Secretary Austin further stated, "This action sends a clear message that the Houthi rebels will face greater consequences if they do not cease attacks on international vessels and others."

In a joint statement released alongside the U.S., the United Kingdom, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, and others said, "We will not hesitate to defend the free flow of trade in one of the world's most important waterways." New Zealand and the Netherlands also participated in this statement.

Earlier, the U.S. conducted airstrikes on the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militias in Iraq and Syria the previous day. These airstrikes were carried out as a retaliatory response to the pro-Iran militias' drone attack on the U.S. military base stationed in Jordan, which resulted in the deaths of three U.S. soldiers.