U.S. Central Command released a statement after U.S. military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands — conducted "multilateral coalition strikes" on Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen.
The attacks came after Houthi rebels have launched missiles and carried out attacks over several months on commercial shipping and trade vessels in the Red Sea.
"We hold the Houthi militants and their destabilizing Iranian sponsors responsible for the illegal, indiscriminate, and reckless attacks on international shipping that have impacted 55 nations so far, including endangering the lives of hundreds of mariners, including the United States," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander.
"Their illegal and dangerous actions will not be tolerated, and they will be held accountable," Kurilla added.
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President Biden said he'd authorized the strikes "in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history."
"I will not hesitate to direct further measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce as necessary," he added.
According to USCENTCOM, the strikes targeted strategic communication systems and missile launch sites.
"On Jan. 11 at 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom, and support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain conducted joint strikes on Houthi targets to degrade their capability to continue their illegal and reckless attacks on U.S. and international vessels and commercial shipping in the Red Sea. This multinational action targeted radar systems, air defense systems, and storage and launch sites for one way attack unmanned aerial systems, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles," CENTCOM said on X.
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It added: "Since Oct. 17, 2023, Iranian-backed Houthi militants have attempted to attack and harass 27 ships in international shipping lanes. These illegal incidents include attacks that have employed anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. These strikes have no association with and are separate from Operation Prosperity Guardian, a defensive coalition of over 20 countries operating in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and Gulf of Aden."
A U.S. official told Fox News that the strikes included over 15 F/A-18 Super Hornet strike fighters from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
They were launched to strike Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen on Thursday in an undisclosed area.
All made it back to the boat safely, the official said.
Shortly after the attacks, Houthi leader Abdel-Malek al-Houthi spoke in a televised speech and vowed that any U.S. attack on Yemen's Houthis would not go without a response.
"Any American attack will not remain without a response. The response will be greater than the attack that was carried out with twenty drones and a number of missiles," he said.
Fox News’ Liz Friden and Bradford Betz contributed to this report.
