Media sources have confirmed that the United States informed the Houthis prior to carrying out airstrikes on their positions in Yemen. The sources indicated that the Houthis were notified of the strikes, seemingly signaling the U.S. intent to minimize damage and avoid exacerbating tensions in the Red Sea.
In this context, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a U.S. defense official and a source close to the Houthis, that the Houthi militias had, in fact, relocated some important weapons and equipment before the strike, while they placed ballistic missiles in shelters in the densely populated city of Sana’a.
The newspaper also reported that, according to Tanker Trackers, a shipping consulting firm, an Iranian spy ship left the Red Sea early Thursday headed to Bandar Abbas on Iran's southern coast. Security officials previously stated that this ship could potentially be targeted for its role in assisting the Houthis in attacks on vessels.
U.S. and British warplanes, ships, and submarines carried out strikes across Yemen overnight in response to the Iranian-aligned Houthis' attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, marking an expansion of the regional conflict ignited by the Israeli war in Gaza. U.S. President Joe Biden stated, "These targeted strikes send a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel and will not allow hostile actors to jeopardize freedom of navigation."
### Impact of Airstrikes on the Houthis
Witnesses in Yemen reported explosions throughout the country, noting that the strikes targeted a military base around Sana’a airport, a military site near Taiz airport, a Houthi naval base in Hodeidah, and military sites in Hajjah governorate.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, who is hospitalized due to complications from surgery, stated that the strikes targeted the Houthis' capabilities, including drones, ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, coastal radars, and aerial reconnaissance. The British Ministry of Defense indicated in a statement that "initial evidence suggests that the Houthis' ability to threaten commercial shipping has suffered a significant blow."
British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey mentioned that the strikes were conducted in self-defense but that there are currently no further plans for additional strikes. A military spokesperson for the Houthis claimed that the 73 strikes resulted in the death of five of their fighters and injured six others. He added that these attacks would not go "unresponded and unpunished" and that the movement would continue to target vessels heading to Israel.
A Houthi leader confirmed "raids" in the capital Sana'a and in Hodeidah, Saada, and Dhamar, describing them as part of what he termed "American-Zionist-British aggression."
The Houthis, who control large areas of Yemen, have been attacking vessels at the entrance to the Red Sea since October, a route that is one of the busiest in global trade. The Iranian-aligned Houthis claim that their attacks in the Red Sea aim to target ships linked to Israel to support the Palestinians and Hamas.
