U.S. forces used a combination of strike aircraft, destroyers and a submarine to launch overnight attacks on Houthi positions in Yemen, which the Pentagon said focused on 60 targets spread across 16 sites in the country.
The U.S. Air Force's Mideast command released a statement saying American assets hit Houthi "command-and-control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities and air defense radar systems" in the landmark operation. It comes after months of attacks on commercial shipping in the strategic Red Sea region.
President Joe Biden said the strikes—conducted alongside British forces—were intended to demonstrate that the U.S. and its allies will not tolerate Houthi operations in the Red Sea, which the Iranian-aligned militia group has been undertaking in protest of Israel's war on the Gaza Strip.
"These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history," Biden said in a statement. "I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary."
Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, Air Forces Central commander, said in a statement that more than 100 precision-guided munitions of various types were used in the attack.
More than 15 F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters operating from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower were involved, according to Fox News, citing unnamed Pentagon sources. Unspecified Air Force fighters operating from a base in the Middle East were also part of the attack. Newsweek has yet to verify these reports.
The USS Florida guided missile submarine and U.S. surface ships launched Tomahawk cruise missiles. It is not clear what other vessels took part in the bombardment, but American Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers have been operating in the Red Sea in recent months.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on which specific vessels or aircraft were involved in the Yemen attack. The spokesperson directed Newsweek to a briefing on Thursday evening in which a senior military official said that "precision-guided munitions were used to destroy the targets and also to minimize collateral damage."
Ship-launched Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles (TLAM) form a vital part of the U.S. military's long-range strike capability. They can carry a warhead weighing up to 1,000 pounds out to ranges beyond 1,500 miles.
Four British Typhoon fighter jets supported the strikes. The British Defense Ministry said the aircraft dropped Paveway IV laser-guided munitions, which carry 500-pound warheads. The jets involved are based on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
The U.S. and its allies are now braced for potential retaliation. Houthi forces employ a wide range of ballistic missiles and drones and have proven their ability to defeat U.S.-supplied defense systems in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
High-ranking Houthi official Ali al-Qahoum warned on X, formerly Twitter: "The battle will be bigger ... and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British.
"All operations will continue no matter what and whatever it is, and the Americans and the British must realize that," he added. "This is a fixed equation that will not change or change at all until victory and the demise of Israel."
Update 1/12/24, 7:07 a.m. ET: This article was updated with a response from the Pentagon.
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David Brennan is Newsweek's Diplomatic Correspondent covering world politics and conflicts from London with a focus on NATO, the European ... Read more
