Britain [UK], May 1: The Guardian newspaper yesterday (April 30) cited a statement from the British Ministry of Defense confirming that the country's fighters had joined the US side in attacking Houthi targets in Yemen.
The airstrike was carried out on April 29, marking the first foreign military action approved by the Labour government in Britain and the first time Britain has participated in the US-launched Houthi offensive since March 15.
According to the British Ministry of Defense, Typhoon FGR4 fighters with the support of Voyager aerial refueling aircraft accurately attacked a cluster of Houthi military facilities, about 24 kilometers south of the capital Sana'a. British and US intelligence identified these as drone production complexes that the Houthis used to attack ships passing in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
British Defence Secretary John Healey said the airstrikes were in response to a permanent threat from the Houthis to freedom of navigation. The British military has also taken measures to minimize the risk of civilian casualties, including opting for laser-guided and GPS-guided Paveway IV missiles.
Also yesterday, AFP quoted the Pentagon as saying that US forces had attacked more than 1,000 Houthi targets in Yemen. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said that so far the airstrikes have killed many fighters and figures in the Houthi leadership.
In another development, Reuters quoted Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani as meeting with senior officials of the US State Department in Ho Chi Minh City. New York (New York state). This is the first meeting between U.S. officials and Secretary of State al-Shibani on U.S. territory, as Damascus seeks a clear roadmap to persuade Washington to lift long-standing sanctions on Syria.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
