Suspected US Strikes Hit Houthi Strongholds in Yemen Amid Rising Tensions

Early Friday morning, suspected U.S. Airstrikes pounded sites in Yemen controlled by Houthi rebels, including Sanaa, the capital.

The extent of damage or the possible number of casualties was unknown, but the strikes seemed to be particularly high compared with other days of the campaign, which began on March 15.

The U.S. is now launching attacks on ranking officials and dropping bombs across cities, rather than just targeting launch sites.

According to initial reports by the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency, only one person was injured in the Friday attacks in Sanaa. Yemen’s capital has been held by the rebels since 2014. The other strikes were around the Red Sea Port city of Hodeida as well as the rebel strongholds of Saada in Yemen, al-Jawf governorate, and Amran.

Houthis have not confirmed what sites were targeted. However, Sanaa International Airport is used by both civilians and the military. The capital’s neighborhoods are also home to military and spy service sites, as well as being crowded with civilians.

The mountainous terrain north-west of Sanaa is believed to have been hit as well, and this includes military camps. Al-Masirah, the satellite news network of the Houthis, described how communication networks were disrupted after these attacks.

Central Command of the U.S. Military, which has been given authority by the White House to conduct offensive strikes in Yemen, didn’t immediately confirm that any attacks had taken place. Under Biden, the command provided details about individual strikes.

Airstrikes against the rebels began on March 15 after the Houthis warned that they would begin to target “Israeli” vessels again because Israel was blocking aid into the Gaza Strip. In the past, rebels have used a looser definition of an Israeli vessel. This means that other vessels can be targeted.

The Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant ships with drones and missiles. They sank two vessels and killed four sailors in their campaign against ships between November 2023 and January this year. The Houthis also launched attacks against American warships, but none of them have been struck so far.

The attacks raised the Houthis profile, as they were facing economic difficulties, and they launched a crackdown on any dissent or aid workers in Yemen amid the decade-long stalemated conflict that has torn the Arab World’s poorest country apart.