US and UK strike Houthi rebel targets in Yemen after ship attacks
- US and British forces target ground control and storage facilities for long range drones and missiles
- The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden
The United States and Britain carried out air strikes on Yemen in what they said was a bid to degrade Iran-backed rebels’ maritime attack capabilities, with Houthi media on Friday reporting 14 killed.
The Houthis have been attacking shipping around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November, citing solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has been at war with the militant group Hamas since October 7.
Loud explosions were heard in the capital Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida overnight from Thursday to Friday.
The Houthi-controlled Al-Masirah television channel said 14 people were killed and more than 30 were wounded in the strikes that also targeted telecoms infrastructure in the town of Taez.
It was not immediately possible to independently verify the toll.
The British defence ministry said its planes launched strikes in “a joint operation with US forces against Houthi military facilities to degrade their ability to persist with their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden”.
