Sanaa, March 23 (IANS) The US naval forces carried out three strikes on the Hodeidah airport in the Yemeni Red Sea port city, and five strikes on the Majzar district in Yemen’s central province of Marib, media reported.
The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV report did not provide details on casualties or damage caused by the attacks, and there has been no comment from the US side yet.
The Hodeidah airport has been closed to civilian flights since late 2014 when the Houthi group seized control over several northern cities, including the strategic city of Hodeidah. The airport has also been a frequent target of previous US airstrikes, Xinhua news agency reported.
Earlier on Saturday, the Houthis said they had carried out a sixth attack on US naval forces in the northern Red Sea since March 15, launching several drones at warships escorting the USS Harry S. Truman.
The Houthis said they had also launched a ballistic missile attack on Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, an assault the Israeli military said was intercepted late on Friday.
The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have been fighting against the internationally-recognised government since 2014.
Tensions between the Houthis and the US military have escalated since Washington launched fresh airstrikes on Yemen on March 15.
The strikes followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on Israeli targets unless humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza.
The US military has resumed air attacks on Houthi targets since Saturday, claiming its campaign aims to protect international shipping. The new round of US airstrikes has killed dozens of people, according to Houthi-run health authorities.
The Houthi rebel group controls a large swath of Yemen, including the strategic Hodeidah port, after a civil war broke out in 2014.
US President Donald Trump warned the Houthis on Saturday to cease attacks or face intensified consequences, declaring, “Hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Yemen’s Houthi group said that it has targetted the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea for the fourth time in the past 72 hours.
In a statement, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the operation was conducted with cruise missiles and drones, claiming it had succeeded in thwarting a “hostile US air attack”.
–IANS
int/khz
