RAF Typhoons carry out more airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen
Four RAF Typhoons have carried out airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
In a statement, the UK Government said the fighter jets took part in a coalition strike on Saturday alongside two Voyager tankers.
The statement said the strikes targeted Houthi military facilities, which the Houthi's had been using to conduct missile and drone attacks on commercial shipping and coalition naval forces in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
According to the Government, the RAF aircraft were assigned multiple targets at two sites after intelligence found very long-range drones at a former missile battery site.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV precision guided bombs against the drones and their launchers, notwithstanding the Houthis' use of the old missile battery revetments to try to protect the drones," the statement said.
The Government also said previous RAF strikes had already destroyed a number of buildings at Bani, located fifteen miles west of Abbs airfield in north-western Yemen.
"Additional buildings at the Bani site had subsequently been confirmed as also being involved in the drone and missile activities there and were therefore targeted during this latest strike."
A statement was also issued from Australia, Bahrain, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and United States on the strikes.
This statement said the US and UK carried out "necessary and proportionate strikes" that targeted 18 Houthi targets across 8 locations in Yemen.
The statement added these targets included "Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter".
"These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade, naval vessels, and the lives of innocent mariners in one of the world's most critical waterways," the coalition statement said.
"These strikes are in response to Houthis' continued attacks against commercial and naval vessels that have not only endangered international seafarers but the lives of the Yemeni people."
The coalition also said the "more than 45 attacks" from the Houthis "constitute a threat to the global economy, as well as regional security and stability, and demand an international response".
"Our aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, but we will once again reiterate our warning to Houthi leadership: we will not hesitate to continue to defend lives and the free flow of commerce in the face of continued threats," the statement said.
It comes after HMS Diamond’s crew was praised for their bravery in patrolling the Red Sea amid Houthi drone attacks and smuggled weapon busts.
The ship eliminated drones as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian – an international task force set up to protect global commercial shipping from the Iran-backed Houthi attacks.
The Type-45 Destroyer is now docked in Gibraltar to restock and resupply after her stint in the Red Sea from November to January.
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