In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall and amphibious assault ship USS Bataan transit the Bab al-Mandeb strait on Aug. 9, 2023. The top commander of U.S. naval forces in the Middle East says Yemen’s Houthi rebels are showing no signs of ending their “reckless” attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea. But Vice Adm. Brad Cooper said in an Associated Press interview on Saturday that more nations are joining the international maritime mission to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic is beginning to pick up. (Mass Communications Spc. 2nd Class Moises Sandoval/U.S. Navy via AP)
United States Red Sea Attacks
WASHINGTON, DC– President Biden says strikes from both the U.S. and U.K. against Houthi militants in Yemen are in direct response to Houthi attacks against ships in the Red Sea. U.S. officials say American and British forces bombed more than a dozen sites used by the Iranian-backed Houthis. The military targets included air defense systems –weapons storage and launching locations. The President says the attacks were carried out with backing from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands.
The strikes on the Houthi targets marked the first U.S. military response to what has been an ongoing series of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.