All Houthi rebel targets destroyed in RAF Typhoon airstrikes, Defence Secretary confirms
The latest successful strikes against the Houthi rebels made by the Royal Air Force have destroyed important targets that were used to launch attacks in the Red Sea, Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said.
Four Typhoon aircraft carried out airstrikes against targets in Yemen on Saturday, including against military facilities which were being used to attack commercial shipping and coalition naval forces in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. It was confirmed that all intended targets were destroyed.
Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: "We very much do intend these attacks on the Houthi infrastructure to be deterrents."
He said during a discussion in the Commons: "Intelligence analysis has indicated that these were successful, that the sites we attacked were being used for Houthi long-range drones, used for both reconnaissance and attack missions at a former surface-to-air missile battery site several miles to the northeast of Sanaa.
"Assessment is, of course, continuing at this still early stage, but analysis so far indicates that all eight RAF targets were successfully struck," he added.
It has been confirmed that Paveways missiles were used by the RAF during the operation to strike rebel positions.
Mr Shapps said the Houthis' indiscriminate attacks on vessels "made a mockery" of the rebels' claims their action was all about Israel.
He also emphasised that there was no evidence of civilian casualties in the airstrikes.
The UK Government had stated the fighter jets involved in the latest coalition airstrike worked alongside two Voyager tankers.
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