US Military Strikes Against Houthi Rebels

The Houthis are a Yemeni militia group and Shia Islamist political and military organization. The Houthis seized Yemen's capital in 2014 and then much of the north by 2016.

On January 11, 2024, US and UK-led forces launched air strikes on targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen in response to drone and rocket attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea. The Thursday strikes ended weeks of mounting pressure on President Biden to respond militarily to the Houthi attacks.

According to a Department of Defense official, the operation took time to coordinate because the other nations involved wanted to understand the legal basis for military action. The strikes are the first on Yemeni territory since 2016.