Houthi vows to retaliate against US-UK airstrikes

Houthi forces in Yemen said the US-UK airstrikes could not stop them and vowed to respond.

"US and British aircraft have carried out 48 airstrikes on various areas in Yemen in the past hours. This campaign will not stop our support for the people of the Gaza Strip, and the enemy will also face retaliation and punishment," Yahya Saree, a Houthi spokesman, said today.

The Houthi official did not mention specific responses. "We will use escalation to counter the enemy's escalation," added Nasr al-Din Amer, another Houthi spokesman.

Houthi fighters parade through the streets of Sanaa, Yemen, in October 2023. Photo: AFP — Houthi fighters parade through the streets of Sanaa, Yemen, in October 2023. Photo: *AFP*

The statements came after the US and UK military carried out a raid on 36 targets at 13 locations in Yemen, including Houthi weapons depots, anti-ship missile batteries, air defense systems and radars. This was the third time the US and UK have coordinated attacks on Houthi targets, in addition to a series of airstrikes carried out separately by Washington.

The Houthis stepped up attacks on cargo ships passing through the Red Sea after fighting in the Gaza Strip broke out in early October 2023, to pressure Israel to stop its campaign against Hamas, its ally in the anti-Tel Aviv resistance axis in the Middle East.

The US and its allies have recently abandoned passive defense tactics in favor of preemptive strikes, destroying Houthi missiles and drones before the armed group can launch them into the Red Sea. Washington also leads a coalition to protect maritime activities in the Red Sea, as well as seeking to exert diplomatic and financial pressure on the Houthis.

However, these efforts have not prevented the attack on international shipping routes in the Red Sea by armed groups in Yemen.

Vu Anh (According to Reuters, AFP )

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