A video of dubious image and credibility was published by an Arab website on social networks, in which the Houthis propagate "that they shot down" an American F-22 aircraft, which of course is not confirmed anywhere, not even by the US.
What is known is that Iran, with the help of Russia, has presented an upgraded version of the Bavar-373 anti-aircraft missile system.
The Bavar-373 a/a system was able to lock on to a radar ( Russian-made) target at a range of about 400 km and destroyed it at a range of 300 km.
However, the shoot-down reported is not confirmed.
The British aircraft returned unharmed to the British base in Cyprus
At 9.30 on Thursday evening Cyprus time, the British aircraft involved in the operation against Houthi targets in Yemen took off from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus, UK Defence Secretary James Hippy said.
Speaking to Sky News, he said the four Typhoon fighters were eventually escorted by two Voyager aerial refueling aircraft.
All the aircraft returned "safely" to the British base in Cyprus at 5am local time on Friday morning.
According to Mr Hippy, the assessment so far shows that both targets struck by the British aircraft were "successfully" hit, as were the rest of the 14 targets attacked by US forces.
Biden's announcement on ballistic missile waves
President Joe Biden announced a short while ago that "the strikes were intended to show that the US and its allies 'will not tolerate' the militant group's incessant attacks in the Red Sea".
He said the US only carried out the attack after efforts and diplomatic negotiations.
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"These strikes are a direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks on international ships in the Red Sea, including the use of ballistic missiles against ships for the first time in history," Biden said in a statement.
He noted that the attacks endangered U.S. personnel, sailors and commerce, adding: "I will not hesitate to direct further action to protect our people and the free flow of international trade as necessary."
The attacks hit several key points in Yemen
Associated Press reporters in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, heard four explosions in the early hours of Friday morning, local time.
Residents said they heard five powerful explosions in the western port of the city, which is located on the Red Sea and is the largest Houthi-controlled port.
Explosions were also heard by residents of Taiz, a southwestern city near the Red Sea.
The strikes marked the first US military response to a persistent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The coordinated Western military offensive comes just a week after the White House and a number of partner countries issued a final warning to the Houthis to stop the attacks or face possible military action.
Members of Congress were briefed earlier Thursday on the plans for the airstrike.
The warning appeared to have at least some short-lived impact, as the attacks stopped for several days.
However, on Tuesday, Houthi rebels launched a wave of drones and missiles targeting ships in the Red Sea, with US and British ships and US fighter jets responding by shooting down 18 drones, two cruise missiles and an anti-ship missile.
On Thursday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile in the Gulf of Aden at a merchant ship.
Fever of consultations in the US and EU
Journalists, senior administration and military officials said that after Tuesday's attacks that Biden convened the national security team and was presented with military options for response.
He then instructed Defense Secretary Lloyd Astin to carry out the retaliation.
The governments of Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, New Zealand and South Korea joined the US and the UK in issuing a statement saying that while the goal is to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea, allies will not hesitate to defend lives and protect trade in the critical waterway.
The Houthis threaten the US and Europe
A senior Houthi official, Ali al-Kahum, promised there would be retaliation.
"The battle will be bigger ... and beyond the imagination and expectation of the Americans and the British," he said in a post on X.
Al-Masirah, a Houthi-run satellite news channel, described strikes on Al-Dailami air base north of Sanaa, the airport in the port city of Hodeida, a camp east of Saada, the airport in the city of Taiz and an airport near Hajjah.
The Houthis did not immediately provide information on damage or casualties. A senior government official said that while the U.S. expects the strikes will degrade Houthi capabilities, "we would not be surprised to see some kind of response," though they have seen nothing yet.
Hamas condemns the US-British strikes and says Washington and London bear responsibility for their impact on the region
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas today strongly condemned US-British strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.
Hamas noted in a statement that the US and Britain would bear responsibility for the impact of their attack on security in the region.
But Houthi targets have little or no connection to Israel and endanger a critical trade route linking Asia and the Middle East to Europe.
What is certain is that a new front has opened up in the Middle East region after Gaza, and the reactions will certainly be strong, and the risk of contagion very great
