Moscow, January 13 – According to unnamed American officials cited by the New York Times, US and UK strikes in Yemen have only managed to reduce the Houthi rebels’ ability to attack ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones by approximately one-third. The strikes, which targeted over 60 missile and drone targets using more than 150 precision munitions, only damaged or destroyed 20 to 30% of the Houthi offensive potential, most of which is set up on mobile platforms and can be easily moved or hidden.
The officials revealed that, despite the destruction of around 90% of the Houthi positions in Yemen on Thursday and Friday, it had little impact on the Yemeni movement’s offensive capabilities. They explained that identifying the targets proved to be more challenging than expected, as Western intelligence agencies have not dedicated much time and resources to gathering information on the location of air defense systems, command centers, ammunition depots, as well as storage and production facilities for Houthi drones and missiles.
Currently, American analysts are hurriedly collecting information on other potential targets, according to the sources. One official stated that the US would adopt a strategy of swiftly destroying targets upon their discovery if President Joe Biden gives the corresponding order.
In mid-November, the Shiite militant group “Ansar Allah” (the Houthis), which controls the northern part of Yemen, began attacking Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. This led to a sharp decrease in maritime transport through the Suez Canal. In response, the US announced a joint operation with ten other countries to protect navigation in the Red Sea. In retaliation, Ansar Allah threatened to attack ships of the coalition countries. Several clashes between the Houthis and US military forces have occurred in the Red Sea.
On Friday night, the US and UK launched airstrikes against Ansar Allah, targeting objects in four Yemeni provinces. President Joe Biden referred to the operation as a response to the threat to freedom of navigation, and did not rule out further military action. According to Commander Alex Greenewich of the US Central Command, the US Air Force attacked over 60 Houthi targets, using more than 100 precision munitions of various types. In turn, a representative of the Houthi armed forces, Yahya Saria, reported that the US and UK carried out 73 strikes on the capital Sanaa and the provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz, Hajjah, and Saada. Five Houthi fighters were killed in the attack, and six others were injured. The Houthis claimed to have launched retaliatory strikes on American and British military bases and facilities, and also asserted that they had successfully sunk an American military ship in the Red Sea. Houthi Politburo member Huzam al-Assad added that Yemeni fighters would respond to the actions of London and Washington, warning that they would regret their aggression.
On Saturday morning, US and UK aircraft launched new strikes on the Al-Dailami military base near Sanaa’s airport. The leadership of Ansar Allah had previously claimed that the base had been out of operation for a long time due to strikes by the Saudi Arabian-led coalition. In the evening, a source in local authorities reported a coalition attack on a Yemeni army naval base off the coast of the port city of Hodeidah.
Moscow has condemned the US strikes on Yemeni territory. Russian President’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov called them illegitimate from the standpoint of international law. Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya, stated during a Security Council meeting that the US and its allies are contributing to the spread of the Middle East conflict throughout the region, and that their attack on Yemen violated the Charter of the United Nations.
