RAF Typhoons pound Iran-backed Houthis' drone-building facilities with airstrikes in Yemen
The MoD said RAF Typhoons had joined in operation with US forces in targeting the Iran-backed group's drone-making facilities near the capital, Sanaa.
Several Typhoon FGR4s used Paveway IV precision guided bombs on a cluster of buildings used on facilities manufacturing drones like those used to target ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in recent months.
The MoD said 'very careful planning had been completed to allow the targets to be prosecuted with minimal risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure'.
'We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and International shipping,' said Defence Secretary John Healey.
The strikes marked the UK's first involvement with America's new intense campaign targeting the group.
The campaign, called 'Operation Rough Rider,' has been targeting the rebels as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program.
The British offered no information on the damage done in the strike, nor whether it believed anyone had been killed.
The U.S. military's Central Command did not acknowledge the strike.
'The strike was conducted after dark, when the likelihood of any civilians being in the area was reduced yet further,' Britain's defence ministry said.
Mr Healey added that all UK aircraft and personnel involved had also safely returned to base.
'This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security,' he said.
'Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.
He stressed that the Houthis' activities in the Red Sea were a 'persistent threat' to 'freedom of navigation'.
'A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,' he said.
'The Government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people.
'I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.'
The Houthis claim their actions are in response to Israel's war on Hamas in Gaza - an assertion dismissed by the UK and allies.
Britain has taken part in airstrikes alongside the U.S. since the Biden administration began its campaign of strikes targeting the Houthis back in January 2024.
A view of destruction after an attack by US warplanes on a shelter center for African irregular migrants in the northern Yemeni city of Sadah on April 29, 2025
The U.S. is conducting strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region - the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.
US forces have struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen since Washington launched the latest round of its air campaign in mid-March, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The joint U.K.-U.S. strike follows an alleged a U.S. airstrike on Monday that hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others.
The U.S. military said it was investigating.
On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign.
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