In the past 24 hours, the United States launched a series of 65 airstrikes targeting several northern provinces in Yemen, including Sanaa, Saada, Al Hudaydah, Al-Jawf, Marib, and Amran.
According to Houthi-run media, one person was killed, and four others were injured in Saada, while communications were disrupted in several parts of Amran after bombing key infrastructure.
In the capital city of Sanaa, 11 strikes were reported, including eight attacks on the al-Suad district of Sanhan and two on Sanaa International Airport.
Meanwhile, the northern Saada province, a Houthi stronghold, saw 17 airstrikes, including heavy bombardments around the city of Saada, its outskirts, and the surrounding districts of Sahr and Kitaf.
The US also focused on the Al Hudaydah governorate, which has been a focal point of conflict due to its strategic location along the Red Sea, and the coastal city was hit with three strikes.
Al-Jawf, another key northern area, was bombed 11 times, with the strikes reportedly targeting areas near the government compound in Al Hazm and various districts in the province.
Marib and Amran provinces, important for both military and civilian infrastructure, were also targeted. The attacks in Marib’s al-Majzar district were particularly alarming due to their proximity to civilian areas, adding to fears of increased civilian casualties.
While these military actions are portrayed by the US as strikes against Houthi military capabilities, the group has denied this narrative.
In a televised speech on Friday, Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi confirmed that Houthi forces blocked Israeli ships from passing through the Red Sea.
“Our operations have completely stopped Israeli maritime traffic, and we will continue supporting Palestine and opposing Israel,” he said.
In recent months, the group has intensified its military operations against the US and Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with missile attacks targeting Israeli-owned shipping vessels.
On Thursday, Al-Houthi condemned the ongoing US strikes and criticised the claim that the strikes were targeting only military installations.
He said: “It is impossible for the Yemeni nation to alter their stance in the face of the American aggression no matter how extensive it could be. They are simply being launched only within the framework of support for the Zionist entity and undermining Yemeni people’s pro-Palestinian position.”
From November 2023 until January of this year, Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships. The attacks, it said, were in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Trump administration has vowed to continue its military backing for the Saudi-led coalition with the UAE in support of the Yemeni government.
President Donald Trump has repeatedly said that Iran was responsible for supporting the Houthi attacks, a claim that was used to justify further US involvement.
The war has left a devastating impact on Yemen’s civilian population with a worsening humanitarian disaster exacerbated by the ongoing airstrikes and blockades.
The US has been carrying out attacks on the country since March 15, killing at least 53 people and wounding dozens more.
