AL-MUKALLA: The US and UK launched a fresh airstrike on Houthi targets in Yemen’s northern province of Saada on Wednesday, the latest in a spate of strikes against the Yemeni militia, which has vowed to continue assaults on ships in the Red Sea.
Houthi media said that US and UK “enemy” jets carried out one strike on Al-Qutaynat in Saada’s Baqoum area but did not elaborate on the target sites or if there was any human or property damage.
Since January, the US and UK have launched strikes on Sanaa, Saada, Hodeidah, and other Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, targeting military targets, drone and missile launchers, storage facilities, and ammunition depots in order to force the Houthis to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden.
The US Central Command nearly every day reports intercepting and destroying Houthi drones and missiles targeting US and international ships, as well as those preparing to fire on international maritime routes in Yemen.
The Houthis say they solely target Israel-linked or Israel-bound ships to pressure Israel to lift its blockade of the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, the Houthis launched an attack on Yemeni government soldiers in the southern province of Dhale, the most recent Houthi military operation to gain ground in the province.
According to Dhale Axis Media Centre, the pro-independence Security Belt, affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council, said that the Houthis launched simultaneous shelling and ground attacks at nearly 2 a.m. on Wednesday on its forces’ locations north of Qa’atabah District in Dhale but failed to gain any ground and were forced to retreat.
Some Houthis were killed in the fighting, their bodies still scattered on the battlefield, the center said.
The Houthis and Yemen’s government forces have fought bloody battles in Dhale in recent years despite a relative calm on the battlefields since the UN-brokered truce came into force in April 2022.
