UK, US Carry Out Air Strike In Yemen

The United States and the United Kingdom have launched air strikes in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, a television station run by the Houthi rebel group has reported, with the Pentagon saying it targeted advanced weapons storage facilities in the raids.

Al Masirah TV reported on Sunday that parts of Sanaa, the northern Amran governorate and other areas were hit overnight. There were no immediate reports of casualties. “Eyewitnesses said they heard intense flying, along with explosions in different parts of Sanaa,” it said.

The Pentagon told the AFP news agency that it targeted facilities, which contained various weapons used to target military and civilian vessels navigating international waters throughout the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The two nations have repeatedly carried out strikes on Yemen since January to stop the Houthi rebels from attacking Israeli-linked commercial ships passing through the Red Sea. In July, strikes in Hodeidah province killed at least 16 people, the Houthis said.

The Houthis, who control larger parts of Yemen, including Sanaa, have been attacking shipping lanes in the Red Sea and firing missiles and drones at Israel in solidarity with Palestinians.

In more than 100 Houthi attacks over nearly a year, four sailors have been killed and two ships have sunk, while one vessel and its crew remain detained since being hijacked last November.

Fears Of Regional War

The Yemeni group has demanded that Israel stop its war on Gaza as a condition to stop the attacks that have disrupted trade through one of the busiest maritime routes in the world.

Israeli soldiers have killed more than 43,000 people in Gaza since October last year. The devastating war was launched in the wake of a Hamas-led attack in southern Israel that killed more than 1,100 people. More than 200 people were taken captive.

Saturday’s strikes come three days after Houthi leader Abdel-Malik al-Houthi criticised US President-elect Donald Trump for supporting Israel.

The US and the UK military campaign has not deterred Houthi attacks, with the Iran-linked rebel group attacking the Nevatim military airbase in southern Israel on Friday. The group also intercepted a US drone over western Yemen, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Friday.

The Houthi, US and UK attacks have raised fears of an expansion of the conflict in Gaza as well as concerns over efforts to end Yemen’s own civil war.

Al Jazeera/Ejiofor Ezeifeoma