DUBAI, January 15. /TASS/. Positions of the rebel Yemeni group Ansar Allah, or the Houthis, in the country’s Red Sea province of Hodeidah have come under attack, Al Arabiya television reported, citing local sources.

The sound of explosions in the province was also reported by Al Mayadeen television. The reports didn’t provide information about casualties and damage.

According to the television channels Al Hadath and Sky News Arabia, the Houthis on Monday made a failed launch of a missile toward the Gulf of Aden. Al Hadath reported the missile landed in a deserted area in the same province.

Overnight into January 12, US and UK aircraft, naval ships and submarines struck Houthis sites in some Yemeni cities. US President Joe Biden said the strikes were defensive and represented a response to Houthis attacks in the Red Sea. The targets included the Houthis sites for launching missiles and drones, along with locations of radar stations.

Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Yemen-based Houthis said they would strike Israeli territory and prevent ships affiliated with that country from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the operation in the Palestinian enclave ended. According to the US Central Command, the Houthis have attacked more than 20 civilian ships in the Red Sea since mid-November.