Saturday, March 29, 2025
British jets target facilities near Sana’a as UK joins intensified US-led campaign amid rising tensions in the Red Sea.
British warplanes carried out airstrikes on Houthi-controlled drone manufacturing sites in Yemen late Tuesday night, marking the United Kingdom’s first direct military involvement in the conflict since the Labour government took office. The mission also signals a renewed British partnership in the United States-led Operation Rough Rider, a major campaign against Houthi rebels.
The strikes, conducted by RAF Typhoons and supported by Voyager aerial tankers, targeted a cluster of buildings located approximately 15 miles south of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a. The Ministry of Defence said these facilities were being used to build drones responsible for attacking commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Defence Secretary John Healey defended the operation as a necessary response to Houthi attacks that have disrupted global shipping. “A 55 percent drop in Red Sea trade has already cost billions, affecting the economic stability of families in the UK,” Healey said in a statement released on social media shortly after midnight.
The Houthis, an Iran-aligned group, have escalated attacks on shipping lanes in what they claim is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, currently under renewed Israeli offensive.
Since its launch on 15 March under the Trump administration, Operation Rough Rider has led to the targeting of more than 800 Houthi positions. According to US Central Command, these strikes have resulted in the deaths of numerous Houthi fighters and leaders.
While the UK had previously joined several joint US airstrikes in early 2024, this marks the first British involvement in the more intense phase of operations that began under the current US administration.
Reports of civilian casualties continue to emerge. Houthi officials claimed that 68 individuals died in a US strike on a detention facility in Saada, a northern city in Yemen, which was housing African migrants. In another incident on 18 April, 80 civilians were reportedly killed during an attack on the port of Ras Isa.
Annie Shiel, US director at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, criticized the air campaign’s impact on non-combatants, raising questions about adherence to international law and US policy obligations.
In response to mounting scrutiny, the UK Ministry of Defence stated that “careful planning was conducted” to minimize the risk to civilians and civilian infrastructure. Officials confirmed the strike was carried out at night to further reduce potential casualties.
No formal post-strike damage assessment has yet been released.
In a separate development, the US Navy lost an F-18 Super Hornet jet after it fell into the sea during an evasive maneuver. The aircraft was being towed to the USS Harry S Truman when the vessel made a hard turn to avoid Houthi missile fire, causing the jet to slip overboard and sink.
The US Department of Defense has not yet commented on the loss, but the incident highlights the growing risks associated with intensified operations in the region.
