US Launches Airstrikes on Houthi Targets in Yemen

Houthi media reported that seven strikes hit the airport in Hodeida, a key port city, and the Katheib area, home to a Houthi-controlled military base. Additional strikes were reported in the Seiyana area of Sanaa, the capital, and in Dhamar province. Three air raids also occurred in Bayda province, southeast of Sanaa.

These strikes followed Houthi threats of "escalating military operations" against Israel after the group allegedly shot down a US drone over Yemen. Last week, the Houthis claimed responsibility for an attack on American warships, launching more than seven ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones at three US vessels in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. All incoming threats were intercepted by Navy destroyers, according to multiple officials who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive information.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict last October, the Houthis have targeted over 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, seizing one and sinking two, resulting in the deaths of four sailors. Many of these attacks have been thwarted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea, though the Houthis maintain that their operations target ships associated with Israel, the US, or the UK in an effort to pressure an end to the Israeli campaign against Hamas. However, many vessels attacked have little or no connection to the ongoing conflict, including those bound for Iran.