US and UK Launch Airstrikes on Yemen’s Capital, Targeting Houthi Militia
The United States and the United Kingdom have intensified their airstrikes on Yemen, with multiple attacks on the capital city of Sanaa, according to the Pentagon. The US and UK have been conducting sporadic airstrikes on Houthi targets since October last year, with the frequency and intensity increasing after the group launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv in early January.
The latest airstrikes, carried out on Monday and Tuesday, involved US ships and aircraft, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement. The targets included a Houthi command and control center, weapons production facilities, and munitions storage sites, as well as a coastal radar installation and seven Houthi ballistic missiles over the Red Sea, CENTCOM added.
Videos released by the Iranian PressTV showed smoke rising from multiple explosion sites in Sanaa.
The Houthi group has been retaliating against Israel, which it views as an ally of the US and Saudi Arabia, since October last year. The group launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv in early January, and another one at the Ben Gurion airport last week, which the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claimed was intercepted before it could hit its target.
In response to the first missile attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the IDF to “destroy the Houthi infrastructure with full force.” Despite the repeated Israeli airstrikes on Yemen, a Houthi spokesperson said last week that the group will escalate its military attacks on Israel “until the crimes of genocide and the siege of the Gaza Strip are stopped.