Iran-backed Houthi rebels threaten battle ‘bigger and beyond the imagination’ of US and UK and say they will pay a ‘heavy price’ for pounding targets in Yemen targets

Furious Houthi forces have vowed to retaliate on a scale “beyond the West’s imagination” after powerful British and US airstrikes hit targets in rebel-held areas of Yemen last night.

British and US fighter jets and warships fired more than 100 precision-guided missiles at more than 60 targets in Houthi-held territory in Yemen, with strikes hitting an air base, an airport and a military camp in a dramatic escalation of the war in the Middle East.

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels have now vowed to respond to the attacks, with one official saying the UK and US must “prepare to pay a heavy price” for their “blatant aggression”.

Ali al-Kahum, a senior Houthi official, vowed to retaliate and said: “The battle will be bigger… and beyond the imagination and expectations of the Americans and the British.”

Hussein al-Ezzi, the Houthis’ spokesman at the Foreign Ministry, went further and promised: “America and Britain will undoubtedly have to prepare to pay a heavy price and bear all the terrible consequences of this blatant aggression.”

Britain and America launched sea and air strikes in response to months of devastating Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea, with a coalition of countries including Britain and the United States forced to deploy warships to protect them.

According to the Al-Masirah news channel, the strikes hit the Al-Daylami airbase north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of Hodeidah, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz and the airport near Haji.

Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the Houthis’ chief negotiator and spokesman, described the US and UK as “committing stupidity with this treacherous aggression.”

“They were wrong if they thought they would keep Yemen from supporting Palestine and Gaza,” he wrote online.

“Houthi attacks will continue to target Israeli ships or those heading to ports in occupied Palestine,” he wrote.

However, since the attacks began in November, the Houthis have begun targeting ships with weak or no clear ties to Israel, threatening shipping along a key global trade route.

Additionally, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, said today that the strikes were “barbaric.”

And an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Fadi al-Shammari warned on Friday that the West is widening the conflict between Israel and Hamas and increasing tensions in the region.

Accusing the Houthis of ignoring “repeated warnings,” British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement that the strikes were “necessary and proportionate.”

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the strikes “target assets associated with Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles, ballistic and cruise missiles, and coastal radar and aerial surveillance capabilities.”

A joint statement from the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said that “the goal remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea.”

“But let our message be clear: we will not hesitate to protect lives and the free flow of commerce on one of the world’s most important waterways in the face of ongoing threats,” the statement said.

The Houthis said there was “no justification” for the airstrikes and warned that attacks on Israeli-linked shipping would continue.

“We reiterate that there is absolutely no justification for this aggression against Yemen, as there was no threat to international shipping in the Red and Arabian Seas, and attacks have and will continue to hit Israeli ships or those heading to ports in occupied Palestine. “,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdulsalam wrote on X earlier on Twitter.

The Houthis have been mounting more attacks on what they believe are links to Israel along a key international trade route since the war began in the Gaza Strip, sparked by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on October 7.

On Wednesday, HMS Diamond, the £1 billion Type 45 destroyer known as the crown jewel of the Royal Navy, shot down a series of drones fired by rebels with a barrage of Sea Viper missiles that travel three times the speed of sound. American fighters also took part in this operation.

Dramatic footage shows the moment a British destroyer shot down a huge wave of missiles and drones fired by Iran-backed rebels.

Defense Secretary Grant Shapps called Wednesday’s attack by the Houthis “the biggest to date” and said Britain had taken action to “protect innocent lives and the global economy.” He said none of the crew of HMS Diamond were injured.

The rebels say their attacks are aimed at ending Israel’s war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. But their targets are becoming increasingly random, raising the risk of US retaliation in Yemen.

The attacks disrupt maritime trade through the Suez Canal, a critical route linking Europe with Asia and the Middle East, causing delays and rising prices for consumers.

The attacks by Houthi rebels on Wednesday were the last straw for Britain and the US, with both countries launching a flurry of attacks on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, also backed by Iran and involved in a firefight with Israel, criticized the strikes, saying America is “a full partner in the disasters and massacres committed by the Zionist entity in the Gaza Strip.”

Yemen has been a target of US military action during the last four American presidential terms.

A campaign of drone strikes began under President George W. Bush against the local al-Qaeda affiliate, and those attacks have continued under the Biden administration. Meanwhile, the US has launched raids and other military operations amid the ongoing war in Yemen.

This war began when the Houthis stormed the capital Sanaa in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates went to war in support of Yemen’s ousted government in 2015, quickly turning the conflict into a regional confrontation as Iran backed the Houthis. with weapons and other support.

However, that war has slowed as the Houthis continue to hold on to the territory they hold. In 2022, the UAE even came under Houthi rocket fire several times. After the Emirates pulled out of the war, Saudi Arabia, brokered by China, reached an agreement with Iran to ease tensions in hopes of finally exiting the war.

However, an overall deal has yet to be reached, which likely prompted Saudi Arabia on Friday to express “great concern” about the airstrikes.

“While the kingdom stresses the importance of maintaining security and stability in the Red Sea region… it calls for restraint and avoidance of escalation,” the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iran, which has supplied weapons and aid to the Houthis, condemned the attack in a statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani.

“Arbitrary attacks will achieve no result other than increasing instability and security in the region,” he said.