On Saturday night, US warplanes conducted multiple strikes on advanced weapons storage facilities belonging to Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to the Pentagon. These facilities were reported to contain various weapons used against military and civilian vessels operating in international waters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah television network indicated that there were three American and British air raids targeting the southern Al Sabeen district in the capital city, Sanaa. Eyewitnesses reported hearing intense flying and explosions throughout different areas of Sanaa during the attacks.
The United States and Britain have consistently targeted Houthi positions in Yemen since January, following a series of attacks carried out by the rebels on maritime shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Houthi rebels claim these strikes are aimed at vessels connected to Israel, serving as a message of solidarity with Palestinians amidst the ongoing Gaza conflict.
These attacks have significantly disrupted traffic through the Red Sea, a critical trade route that accounts for 12 percent of global trade. Over the past year, there have been more than 100 Houthi attacks, resulting in four sailors’ deaths, the sinking of two ships, and one vessel and its crew remaining detained after being hijacked in November of the previous year.
The recent airstrikes occurred shortly after Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi criticized US President-elect Donald Trump for his support of Israel. Al-Houthi expressed that normalization deals between Arab nations and Israel, facilitated by Trump, had not resolved the Middle East conflict and predicted similar failures in his second term.
