This blog is closed. Thank you for reading. We will resume later. You can find all our Middle East coverage here
Summary
It’s 3am in Sana’a. Here is where we are so far after the US and the UK have launched another round of joint airstrikes against Houthi targets:
The UK and UK carried out strikes against 36 targets linked to Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Saturday.
The targets were in at least 10 different locations in Yemen, AP reported. They marked the third time the US and Britain had conducted a large, joint operation to strike Houthi weapon launchers, radar sites and drones. Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand reportedly supported the latest strikes.
The US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, issued a statement on the new strikes in Yemen. He said the military action “sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will continue to bear further consequences if they do not end their illegal attacks on international shipping and naval vessels”.
The UK defence secretary, Grant Shapps, also issued a statement, saying the strikes were “proportionate and targeted”. He stressed they were not an escalation, adding: “I am confident that our latest strikes have further degraded the Houthis’ capabilities.”
Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s, supported by Voyager tankers, carried out the strikes against Houthi locations in Yemen. The Typhoons used Paveway IV precision-guided bombs against several military targets. An MoD statement said a ground control station at as-Salif, west of Sana’a, which was used to control Houthi drones, was hit. It adds that the aircraft also attacked targets at Bani.
Updated
