Houthi-affiliated media reported on Friday that 16 people were killed and more than 35 were injured in US-UK airstrikes on the cities of Al Hudaydah and As Salif the previous night.
The American and British militaries confirmed that they conducted strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday as part of ongoing efforts to deter the group from targeting maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
US Central Command announced on Thursday evening that American and British forces carried out strikes on 13 sites belonging to Houthi militias in Sanaa, Al Hudaydah, and Taiz.
The US and UK have been conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions in response to the group targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The Houthi group claims these vessels are heading to Israel.
The Houthi-controlled Yemeni news agency SABA reported on Thursday evening that the airstrikes targeted “the communication network in the Al-Abous area of Hayfan district in Taiz province.”
According to the agency, the US-UK airstrikes in Al Hudaydah included four raids on the Al-Hawak district, one of which targeted a radio station building. The Western airstrikes also reportedly hit a building in As Salif port and the Ghulayfiqah area.
In the capital Sanaa, the airstrikes included six raids on the city and surrounding areas, one of which targeted the vicinity of Sanaa International Airport, while three strikes hit the Nahdayn area in the Al-Sabeen district. The agency cited a security source saying that two airstrikes targeted the Jarban area in the Sanhan district of Sanaa province.
Earlier on Thursday, the leader of the Houthis in Yemen, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, stated that there has been a decrease in the movement of American, British, and Israeli ships in the region after the group targeted 129 vessels since the start of their operations in support of Gaza, which has been experiencing an ongoing conflict with Israel for nearly eight months.
Al-Houthi asserted that the group’s operations are “ongoing in the fourth phase” and vowed that they will “increase in quantity and quality.”
The Houthis claim they are targeting ships owned or operated by Israeli companies or those transporting goods to and from Israel, in solidarity with Gaza, which has been under Israeli attack since October 7 of last year.
The US and UK are conducting airstrikes on Houthi positions with the aim of disrupting and weakening the group’s ability to threaten maritime freedom and global trade routes.
