The US and UK launched a series of airstrikes against Houthi militants in Yemen earlier this month.
The strikes came in retaliation to the Iranian-backed rebel group’s attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, which are ongoing despite repeated warnings from the US and its allies.
On January 12, armed forces led by the US and UK, with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, used more than 100 precision-guided munitions on more than 60 Houthi targets in Yemen.
Despite the strikes, Houthi rebels continued to attack commercial shipping vessels. The New York Times reported that the Houthis likely hid most of their missiles and drones before the US-led air attacks, allowing them to retain about 75% of their firepower.
A little over a week later, the US launched more unilateral strikes on eight Houthi targets, including an underground storage site and key missile and air surveillance locations.
“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners,” the US, UK, and its allies said in a joint statement following the strikes.
Photos and video footage show the flight operations aboard the aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, ahead of the intense strikes.
