US-British coalition launches airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah: Reports

SANAA — Warplanes of the US-UK coalition launched two airstrikes on Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah, the Houthi-run media reported.

The strikes targeted an area in the district of Ras Issa, northwest of the city, said the al-Masirah TV, without providing further details. Residents of Hodeidah told Xinhua that they heard loud explosions an hour before midnight.

The US-UK coalition has not commented on the incidents, and there have been no reports about casualties yet, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting al-Masirah TV.

On Thursday, the US Central Command said its forces launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled underground weapons storage in the capital Sanaa and the northern city of Saada. The Houthi group vowed retaliation after the attacks.

The Houthis have been controlling Hodeidah and several other northern cities since late 2014 after the civil war broke out in Yemen, forcing the internationally recognised Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.

Since November last year, the Houthi group has been launching rocket and drone attacks targeting what it described as “Israeli-linked” ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

In response, the US-UK navy coalition stationed in the waters has been conducting sporadic air raids and strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group.