The US and Britain struck 13 Houthi targets in several locations in Yemen on Thursday in response to a recent surge in attacks by the Iran-backed militia group on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, three US officials said.
They said American and British fighter jets and US ships hit a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to provide early details of an ongoing military operation.
Also struck by the US were eight uncrewed aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that were determined to be presenting a threat to American and coalition forces.
![A masked Houthi gunman on board the Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the rebels in the port of Saleef near Hodeidah, Yemen. Photo / AP](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/R2NYSHFRPBEG3IF22P7GVMXUEQ.jpg?auth=843ee5f866e958861c9964a188204285eba8cce72bc84b2e1d5d6dcec243dd0d&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
The strikes come a day after a US MQ-9 Reaper drone went down in Yemen, and the Houthis released footage they said showed the aircraft being targeted with a surface-to-air missile in a desert region of Yemen’s central Marib province. It marked the third such downing this month alone.