Ships and fighter jets of the US Central Command have bombarded more than a dozen sites in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the port of Hodeidah.
The Houthis are a Shia group styling themselves as the Yemeni government and who control the northwest of the country. They have been interdicting Israeli and Western shipping in the Red Sea for almost a year, to pressure Israel to stop attacking Gaza.
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According to the US military, the strikes targeted 15 Houthi targets on Friday afternoon, going after “offensive military capabilities” in order to “protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels.”
Prior to the official statement from CENTCOM, unnamed US officials told AP that the strikes had taken place against “weapons systems, bases and other equipment” at five locations.
According to Yemeni media, there were seven strikes at the Hodeidah airport and the military base at Katheib. Two explosions were reported in Dhamar province, and three in Bayda province, southeast of Sanaa. Four more strikes targeted the capital itself.
Friday’s bombing was the first US operation against the Houthis since June. Israeli jets struck Hodeidah last week, after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel.
Ships and fighter jets of the US Central Command have bombarded more than a dozen sites in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the port of Hodeidah.
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The Houthis are a Shia group styling themselves as the Yemeni government and who control the northwest of the country. They have been interdicting Israeli and Western shipping in the Red Sea for almost a year, to pressure Israel to stop attacking Gaza.
According to the US military, the strikes targeted 15 Houthi targets on Friday afternoon, going after “offensive military capabilities” in order to “protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels.”
Prior to the official statement from CENTCOM, unnamed US officials told AP that the strikes had taken place against “weapons systems, bases and other equipment” at five locations.
According to Yemeni media, there were seven strikes at the Hodeidah airport and the military base at Katheib. Two explosions were reported in Dhamar province, and three in Bayda province, southeast of Sanaa. Four more strikes targeted the capital itself.
Friday’s bombing was the first US operation against the Houthis since June. Israeli jets struck Hodeidah last week, after the Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Israel.
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