US forces on Friday hit 15 targets in Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen, the US military said.
Four provinces were struck, the Iran-backed rebels’ Al Masirah television network reported.
The United States and Britain have repeatedly carried out strikes aimed at curbing the Huthis’ ability to target shipping, but the rebels’ attacks on merchant vessels transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have persisted.
“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted strikes on 15 Huthi targets in Iranian-backed Huthi-controlled areas of Yemen today,” the military command responsible for US forces in the Middle East said on social media.
“These targets included Huthi offensive military capabilities,” CENTCOM said, adding that the strikes were carried out “to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels.”
Al Masirah — which said both the United States and Britain struck Yemen on Friday — had earlier reported four strikes on Sanaa and seven on Hodeida. AFP correspondents heard loud explosions in both cities.
At least one strike each hit Dhamar, south of the capital, and Mukayras, southeast of Sanaa, Al Masirah said.
The Huthis have been hitting shipping since November, saying that attacks, which have disrupted maritime traffic in a globally important waterway, target vessels linked to Israel and are intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.
– Huthi attacks on Israel –
Israel has also struck Yemen in response to Huthi attacks. Israeli strikes on Hodeida last month killed at least five people after the rebels said they had targeted Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport with a missile.
The US strikes took place a day after the rebels said they carried out a drone attack on Tel Aviv. The Israeli military said it had intercepted “a suspicious aerial target” overnight off central Israel, without giving further details.
On Wednesday, the Huthis said they had fired cruise missiles at Israel, following Iran’s massive bombardment of the country.
The day before, the Huthis damaged two ships in separate attacks off Yemen’s coast.
One ship was hit by a marine drone, puncturing a ballast tank, while a second vessel was damaged by a missile less than three hours later, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.
The Huthis, who have controlled large swaths of war-torn Yemen for a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of Iran-linked groups arrayed against Israel and the United States.
The latest strikes came as thousands of people took to the streets of the capital Sanaa to express solidarity with Palestinians and Lebanese amid attacks by Israel.
“The aggression on the capital and Yemeni governorates after the…solidarity marches with Lebanon and Gaza is a desperate attempt to terrorize our people,” Huthi official Hashem Sharaf al-Din told Al Masirah.
“Yemen will not be deterred by these attacks and will continue its steadfastness in confronting the enemies with all its strength,” he said.