UK launches strikes against Houthis in Yemen, in first joint US operation under Trump

Britain’s military launched airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Tuesday with US forces, its defense ministry said – the first public acknowledgment of a joint operation since the Trump administration escalated the US campaign against the militant group.

The strikes targeted “a cluster of buildings” south of the capital Sanaa used by Houthis to manufacture drones, which the group uses to attack ships at sea, Britain’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement released Wednesday.

The Royal Air Force sent Typhoon fighter jets to target those buildings, dropping precision bombs after dark following “very careful planning … to allow the targets to be prosecuted with minimal risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure,” the statement said. All the aircraft returned safely, it added.

The Iran-backed Houthis began a military campaign in solidarity with Palestinians when Israel went to war in Gaza in October 2023. They have repeatedly attacked US Navy ships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden – two waterways that are critical to international shipping routes – and fired missiles at Israel.

In response, the US has tried to disrupt the Houthis’ capabilities by going after their primary weapons, and by destroying maritime drones and underwater drones.

But Wednesday’s statement marks its first acknowledgment of a joint strike since President Donald Trump launched his aggressive military campaign against the group, vowing to use “overwhelming force” to stop the Red Sea attacks.

Tuesday’s joint operation “was in line with long-standing policy of the UK government, following the Houthis initiating their campaign of attacks in November 2023, threatening freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, striking international ships, and killing innocent merchant mariners,” said the ministry statement.

John Healey, the UK’s defense secretary, said the strikes aimed to prevent further Houthi attacks, adding that a 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea had caused regional instability and damaged the UK’s economy.

Since Trump began his campaign – known as “Operation Rough Rider” – on March 15, US airstrikes have pounded Houthi targets in Yemen, hitting oil refineries, airports and missile sites. The US military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in its monthlong campaign, while analysts estimate dozens of Houthi military officers have been killed.

But so far the US operation has had limited impact in harming the group’s operations, and the militants have successfully shot down many multimillion-dollar American drones, hindering the US’ ability to move into “phase two” of the operation, US officials told CNN last week.

On Monday the Houthis alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing dozens.

In response, US Central Command said it was “aware of the claims of civilian casualties related to the US strikes in Yemen, and we take those claims very seriously. We are currently conducting our battle-damage assessment and inquiry into those claims.”