UK military launches airstrikes with US targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels
[April 30, 2025]
By JON GAMBRELL
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The British military launched
airstrikes with the United States targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels,
officials said early Wednesday, their first attack in Washington's new
intense campaign targeting the Iran-backed group.
The United Kingdom offered a detailed explanation for launching the
strike, in a departure from the U.S., which has offered few details
about the more than 800 strikes it has conducted since beginning its
campaign on March 15.
The campaign, called “Operation Rough Rider,” has been targeting the
rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main
benefactor, Iran, over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
UK strike hits near Yemen's capital
The U.K. Defense Ministry described the site attacked as “a cluster of
buildings, used by the Houthis to manufacture drones of the type used to
attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, located some 15 miles (25
kilometers) south of Sanaa.”
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s took part in the raid, dropping Paveway IV
guided bombs, the ministry added.
“The strike was conducted after dark, when the likelihood of any
civilians being in the area was reduced yet further,” the ministry said.
The British offered no information on the damage done in the strike, nor
whether they believed anyone had been killed. The U.S. military's
Central Command didn't acknowledge the strike.
“This action was taken in response to a persistent threat from the
Houthis to freedom of navigation,” U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey
said. “A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost
billions, fueling regional instability and risking economic security for
families in the U.K.”
The Houthis reported several strikes around Yemen's capital, Sanaa,
which the group has held since 2014. Other strikes hit around Saada.
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The British have taken part in airstrikes alongside the U.S. since
the Biden administration began its campaign of strikes targeting the
Houthis back in January 2024. However, this new strike is the first
to see the British involved in the campaign under U.S. President
Donald Trump.
UK strike comes after US allegedly hit prison
The joint U.K.-U.S. strike follows an alleged U.S. airstrike on
Monday that hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least
68 people and wounding 47 others. The U.S. military said it was
investigating.
On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at
least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack
of the U.S. campaign.
The U.S. is conducting strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft
carriers in the region — the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and
the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea, targeting the Houthis
because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial
global trade route, and on Israel.
The Houthis are the last militant group in Iran’s self-described
“Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.
The rebels began their attacks over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza
Strip and the Israeli decision to block the flow of aid to
Palestinians.
The American strikes have drawn controversy in the United States
over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the unclassified Signal
messaging app to post sensitive details about the attacks.
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