The United States and the United Kingdom have executed airstrikes targeting more than 30 Houthi sites in Yemen. Here is essential information you should be aware of.

The United States and the United Kingdom have carried out a series of airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, employing both air and surface platforms, including F/A-18s. Officials report that more than 30 targets across 13 locations were struck, with support from several other nations, as detailed in a joint statement released on Saturday.

The focus of the strikes was on specific sites linked to the Houthis, targeting deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems, launchers, air defense systems, and radars. The participating countries in this action include the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

Houthi representatives claim that the airstrikes hit multiple provinces in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa. Two US destroyers, the USS Gravely and USS Carney, fired Tomahawk missiles during the operation. Additionally, F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier were actively involved, marking a multi-faceted response.

These strikes occur in the backdrop of the Biden administration’s commitment to a “multi-tiered” reaction following a drone attack that resulted in the death of three US service members and injuries to over 40 individuals the previous weekend. In an effort to avert a regional conflict with Tehran, the US has refrained from direct targeting of Iran, instead choosing to address powerful proxies supported by Iran in the region. This indirect approach aims to convey a message to Iran’s leadership, which has expressed concerns about the actions of militant groups it supports. While Iran funds, arms, and supplies these groups to varying degrees, it does not exercise direct control over them.

It’s essential to distinguish the strikes in Yemen from those in Iraq and Syria. The former responds to ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes and US warships in the Red Sea. Conversely, the latter serves as retaliation for a lethal attack on US troops. Despite these differences, both sets of actions share a common objective of targeting Iranian-backed groups in the Middle East.