U.S. and U.K. striking Houthi targets in Yemen to retaliate for the attacks on US and commercial ships in the Red Sea.

The Iranian-backed Houthis have been launching barrages of drone and missile attacks in the Red Sea since soon after the Israel-Hamas war began.

The Houthis launched one of the largest attacks in the Red Sea yet on Tuesday. Three U.S. destroyers along U.S. F-18s and a British warship shot down 18 drones and multiple missiles launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

Each time we shoot one of their cheap drones or missiles down, it costs nearly two million dollars.

CENTCOM warned there would be “consequences” if attacks continued.

“The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways,” the joint statement released by the White House last Wednesday said.

Since Nov. 19, there have been at least 27 attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, according to CENTCOM. The attacks have prompted several giant shipping companies to avoid the Suez Canal and transit around all of Africa instead.

The West let it go on for a long time.