*World War Three watch*
The US and UK launched new strikes on Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen on Saturday.
“The United States and Britain struck 36 Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday in a second wave of assaults meant to further disable Iran-backed groups that have relentlessly attacked American and international interests in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.” – The AP reported.
“The Houthi targets were in 13 different locations and were struck by U.S. F/A-18 fighter jets from the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier and by the USS Gravely and the USS Carney Navy destroyers firing Tomahawk missiles from the Red Sea, the U.S. officials told The Associated Press. They were not authorized to publicly discuss the military operation and spoke on condition of anonymity.” The AP reported.
The new wave of attacks on Iran-backed Houthis comes just one day after the US began retaliatory strikes in the Middle East in response to the three American service members who were killed in Jordan on Sunday.
The strikes began in Iraq and Syria, US officials confirmed on Saturday.
Iran previously warned Joe Biden it would retaliate if he responded to the deadly drone attack on American service members.
The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions and US military forces struck more than 85 targets, according to a statement released by CENTCOM.
Full statement:
At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft to include long-range bombers flown from United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision munitions. The facilities that were struck included command and control operations centers, intelligence centers, rockets, and missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicle storages, and logistics and munition supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.
CENTCOM Statement on U.S. Strikes in Iraq and Syria
At 4:00 p.m. (EST) Feb. 02, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces… pic.twitter.com/HeLMFDx9zY
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) February 2, 2024
The strikes come after Joe Biden gave Iran plenty of time to prepare for a ‘multi-tiered response’ after more than 160 attacks on US military bases in Iraq, Syria and Jordan.
Three U.S. Servicemembers were killed and were 34 injured with 8 requiring to be transported to another location for treatment. The troops were reportedly in a tent structure sleeping when they were attacked by a UAS, or unmanned aircraft system, late Saturday night.
The three servicemembers killed in action were all members of the 718th Engineer Company, a reservist unit out of Fort Moore, Georgia.
The Pentagon released the names of three deceased servicemembers:
- Sgt. William Jerome Rivers, 46 of Carrollton, GA
- Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders, 24, of Waycross, GA
- Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett, 23, Savannah, GA
deceased servicemembers from left to right: Rivers, Sanders, Moffett
