Sanaa, Dec 22, 2024
The US-British navy coalition launched a new airstrike on a Houthi site in Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Sunday before dawn, the local media reported.
The strike targeted the site in Hodeidah’s Al-Luhayyah area, according to media reports, which did not provide further details or report any casualties.
The coalition has not commented on the alleged strike yet, reports Xinhua news agency, quoting Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
The US Central Command said in a statement on X that its forces on Saturday night conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Houthis in the capital city, Sanaa.
Command forces also shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, said the statement.
The airstrikes came hours after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile attack on central Israel, which injured at least 20 Israelis in Tel Aviv.
Meanwhile, the US military informed that A US F/A-18 fighter jet was accidentally shot down by “friendly fire” over the Red Sea while the navy was conducting the airstrikes in Yemen.
During the incident, two US Navy pilots were shot down; however, they were recovered alive, with one pilot sustaining minor injuries.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupted “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea.
In response, the US-led navy coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids on Houthi targets since January in a bid to deter the armed group.
Last week, the Houthi military authorities announced that the US and British aircraft have conducted “a new aggression” against targets in Hodeida, a strategic province in western Yemen along the Red Sea coast.
According to the report, the allied forces targeted the At-Tuhayta district in the southern part of Hodeidah, though specific details about the aerial bombardment were not immediately disclosed.
Meanwhile, local figures close to the Houthi group said that “an airstrike targeted a key military site of the Houthis in Hodeidah.”(Agency)
