The United States and Britain have launched a new round of airstrikes against the Yemeni Houthi militia, marking at least the eleventh time the U.S. has targeted Yemen since the bombing campaign began on January 12th.
“Yemen's Houthi group said Wednesday that the U.S.-British maritime coalition launched strikes on Saada city in northern Yemen.
The strikes targeted sites in the northern part of the city, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported, without providing further details.
There has been no confirmation yet from the coalition.
The U.S.-British maritime coalition stationing in the Red Sea has carried out several strikes on Houthi missile launchpad sites across the country's north, in what the coalition said was an attempt to deter the Houthis from launching further attacks on the shipping lines in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have carried out several attacks on the Red Sea shipping line, saying they targeted only Israeli-linked commercial vessels to press Israel to end its attacks on the Palestinian Gaza Strip.
This morning, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for targeting a U.S. navy warship in the Red Sea, declaring that all U.S. and British warships are ‘legitimate targets’ for the group in retaliation for the U.S.-British coalition's strikes on the group's positions in northern Yemen.
The Houthi group has controlled much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah since the civil war erupted in late 2014”. -Xinhua
Meanwhile, the Houthis reportedly fired a cruise missile at U.S. Navy Destroyer USS Gravely which came within a nautical mile of the U.S. warship before it was shot down, magnifying the looming threat the Houthis continue to pose to American naval assets and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
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| The guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) |