Britain’s military said it had carried out a joint operation with U.S. forces against the Houthi militia in Yemen for the first time since President Trump re-entered the White House and stepped up attacks on the Iran-backed group.
There was no immediate comment from the American military about the operation, which the British Defense Ministry said early Wednesday was carried out overnight “to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against U.K. and international shipping.”
The joint operation came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the unclassified Signal messaging app to post sensitive details about a U.S. mission in Yemen raised questions about operational security and whether American allies would be deterred from further participation. In his leaked messages, Mr. Hegseth strongly criticized European nations describing them as “freeloading” and “pathetic.”
Typhoon jets using precision guided bombs took part in the mission on Tuesday, the ministry said in a statement. The target was “a cluster of buildings, used by the Houthis to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, located some 15 miles south of Sana,” the statement added, referring to the Yemeni capital.
The ministry gave no details about potential casualties or damage, but said that there had been careful planning to reduce risk to civilians or nonmilitary infrastructure.
“The strike was conducted after dark, when the likelihood of any civilians being in the area was reduced yet further,” the statement added.
Since the fall of 2023, the Houthis have repeatedly attacked commercial and naval ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden in a campaign that they say is in solidarity with Palestinians under bombardment in Gaza.
Britain previously had taken part in joint strikes on Houthi targets ordered by former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., which began in January 2024.
In March, President Trump ordered an intensified campaign — known as “Operation Rough Rider.” American forces have since then struck more than 800 targets, the U.S. military said on Sunday.
