in-cyprus 13 January 2024
The United Kingdom’s High Commission in Cyprus on Friday said that it is in close contact with the Republic of Cyprus after a military operation against Houthi rebels in Yemen was launched from RAF Akrotiri.
The British Ministry of Defence reported that Typhoon jets targeted structures in the Banee region of northwest Yemen, where Houthis operated drones for reconnaissance and attacks. Additionally, military installations, including an airport in the city of Hodeidah, were hit, thwarting launches of cruise missiles and drones towards the Red Sea.
In a post on X, the United Kingdom’s High Commission said that the strikes were a response to “a series of dangerous and destabilising attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea, threatening international ships, causing major disruption to a vital trade route and driving up commodity prices.”
It added that “freedom of navigation across international shipping lanes in the Red Sea must be protected and this is why the UK and US have taken action, alongside international partners. We are in close contact with the Republic of Cyprus on developments in the region.”
The mission which started at 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, included four Typhoon fighter jets accompanied by two Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft. The successful return of all aircraft to the British base in Cyprus was confirmed at 5 a.m. on Friday local time, UK Undersecretary of Defense, James Heappey told Sky News.
The Cypriot government said that it is not involved in the operation, however, it stressed the need “for an immediate end to actions that threaten free and safe navigation and endanger the wider security of the region”.
On Friday, the United States and Britain launched strikes from the air and sea against Houthi military targets in Yemen in response to the movement’s attacks on ships in the Red Sea, a dramatic regional widening of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
“These targeted strikes are a clear message that the United States and our partners will not tolerate attacks on our personnel or allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation,” Biden said.
The Houthis say their attacks on shipping routes in the Red Sea are a show of support for the Palestinians and Hamas, the Islamist group that controls Gaza.
The U.S. said Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands supported the operation and sought to present the strikes as part of an international effort to restore the free flow of trade in a key route between Europe and Asia that accounts for about 15% of the world’s shipping traffic.
But the strikes, the first on Yemeni territory since 2016, were also an undeniable demonstration of Washington’s struggle to contain the fallout Israel-Hamas war in the Middle East since its eruption in October. Although Washington said there was no intent to escalate tensions, the Houthis have vowed to retaliate to any attack.
Cypriots to protest UK bases on the island
On Sunday, January 14, people in Cyprus will march towards RAF Akrotiri to protest the use of the island as a launching pad for military operations.
The protest march will take place on Sunday, January 14 at 11 a.m. and it is organised by the Cyprus Peace Council.
