Houthis Denounce New US Attacks in Yemen's Saada Region



Yemen's Houthi rebels denounced new airstrikes on Monday against their northern stronghold of Saada, which they blamed on the United States.


The Houthi al-Massirah television channel announced "American aggression with two strikes on the Sahar district" in Saada province.


On March 15, the United States launched intensive strikes against Houthi targets, promising to use "overwhelming force" as the rebels continued to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.


The United States claimed to have killed several senior Houthi officials that day. The Houthis said 53 people were killed, many of them women and children, and that at least 98 were wounded.


Following the US strikes, the Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for several attacks on the US aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman in the Red Sea, a vital maritime waterway for world trade.


Since March 15, the Houthis, who control large swathes of the war-torn country including the capital Sanaa, have regularly announced US strikes against their strongholds, sometimes resulting in fatalities.


The US has not routinely confirmed these strikes, but a Pentagon official told France Presse that "Centcom (US Central Command) is conducting day and night strikes against several Iranian-backed Houthi installations in Yemen."


The US strikes are aimed at neutralising Houthi threats in the Red Sea.


After the start of the war in Gaza, triggered by an attack on Israel by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas on 7 October 2023, the rebels have carried out several missile attacks on Israel and ships accused of having links to Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.


After the Israeli offensive against Gaza resumed on 18 March following a two-month truce, the Houthis fired missiles at Israel again, which were intercepted.


Since the offensive was renewed on 18 March, Palestinian authorities have recorded 792 deaths.


Israel has resumed its attacks, blaming Hamas for rejecting a new proposal to maintain the truce.