MOSCOW, February 9. /TASS/. The territory of Yemen’s Al Hudaydah Governorate, which is controlled by the Houthi rebel movement Ansar Allah, has been subjected to a series of airstrikes by the US and the UK, the movement's Al Masirah TV channel said.
The coalition forces allegedly hit Houthi targets in the al-Khatib and al-Jabbana areas, with at least two other attacks recorded in the Taif area. Lebanon's Al Mayadeen TV also reported the sounds of explosions in the coastal part of the province and the activity of army aircraft in the country's airspace. No information was given about possible casualties or injuries.
With the conflict in the Gaza Strip escalating, the Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement announced that it would conduct strikes on Israeli territory and block pro-Israeli vessels from passing through the waters of the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until Tel Aviv ceases its military operation in the Palestinian enclave. The Houthis have attacked dozens of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since mid-November of last year.
On the night of January 12, US and UK forces launched strikes using aircraft, ships and submarines against Yemeni rebel movement targets in a number of cities, including Sanaa and Hodeidah. US President Joe Biden said that the strike was carried out in response to unprecedented attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea and was defensive. The targets included missile sites, UAVs and the Houthis’ radar stations.
The Houthis have commented on their losses only once: on January 12, Ansar Allah military spokesman Yahya Saria said the US and the UK strikes had killed five people and wounded six others.