Washington: The United States and Britain launched new strikes on Monday against Yemen’s Houthis in response to continued naval attacks, marking the start of the second phase of their coordinated military operation against the Iran-backed rebels.On January 11, American and British forces launched the first round of attacks against the rebel group. Later that day, the United States carried out additional airstrikes against missiles that Washington said were ready to launch and could threaten both military and civilian ships.On Monday, however, the Hutus announced that they had attacked an American military cargo ship, which an American official denied. They vowed to continue the attack.

andquot;Eight Houthi targets in Yemen in response to Huthisand#039; continued attacks on international and commercial ships and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea, andquot; The United States and Britain said in a joint statement, along with other countries that supported the military operation, that it was the target of the latest American and British attacks.The attackers specifically targeted a Houthi underground storage facility and locations associated with the Huthis’ missile and air surveillance capacity and according to the statement.The rebel group carried out a number of illegal, dangerous and destabilizing activities; the statement continued.The purpose of these precision strikes is to disrupt and degrade the Huthi’s abilities to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent seafarers, it said.

A Houthi TV source, al-Masirah, said the four strikes targeted the rebel-held al-Dailam military facility north of the city. At the same time, Yemen’s official Saba news agency claimed that American-British forces are carrying out attacks on the capital Sanaa and in many other parts of the country.Houthi rebels said earlier Monday that they opened fire on a US military cargo ship off the coast of Yemen.- Two months after the attackAccording to Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree, the rebel group conducted a military operation in the Gulf of Aden targeting the US military cargo ship Ocean Jazz, with rockets near the Red Sea.

A US defense official responded to AFP’s inquiry into the report, saying: “We don’t see that from our end at all and we believe the allegation is false.”In November, Yemeni rebels began attacking ships in the Red Sea, claiming they were targeting Israeli ships to help Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by the conflict between Hamas and Israel.Since then, the Hutus have also declared that American and British interests are suitable targets.Washington renamed the Houthis as “terrorists” this week after withdrawing the name shortly after President Joe Biden took office to use diplomatic and economic pressure in addition to military action.

reiterate his commitment to respond to all attacks and In Yemen, rebels plan to block Israeli ships and  From entering the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to resolving the Palestinian Territory conflict. The matter was announced on Monday.Yemen is just one side of the wider Middle East problem of the ongoing war in Gaza, where Israel’s heavy artillery and military offensive has killed at least 25,295 people, mostly women and children. and teenagers, according to the regional health department.Israel launched the offensive after Hamasand#039 extraordinary attacks in October claimed 1,140 lives in Israel, most of them civilians, according to AFP, based on official Israeli figures.

Fears of a wider regional confrontation have been fueled by rising tensions and violence in the Middle East, involving Iran-backed groups in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.