United States forces followed up strikes on Syria and Iraq with a new round of attacks against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, signaling that President Joe Biden is willing to deepen U.S. involvement in the region’s spreading conflict.
In a joint operation with United Kingdom forces and supported by six other countries including Bahrain, the strikes on Saturday targeted 36 Houthi sites at 13 locations in Yemen, specifically those associated with the group’s deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems and radars, the Pentagon said in a statement.
It marked the biggest set of strikes against the Houthis since an initial operation in January, also carried out jointly by the U.S. and the U.K.
“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, and the lives of innocent mariners,” according to the Pentagon statement, which warned that “we will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways.”
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