Houthi rebels report new US-UK airstrikes on Al Hudaydah Airport

By Mohammed Sameai

SANAA, Yemen (AA) - Yemen’s Houthi rebels reported Friday that US and UK aircraft conducted three airstrikes on Al Hudaydah International Airport in the western Yemeni governorate overlooking the Red Sea.

“Aircraft from the American-British coalition carried out three airstrikes on Al Hudaydah International Airport,” said the Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah satellite channel.

The channel did not provide additional details regarding the outcome of the airstrikes, and there was no comment from Washington or London on the Houthi statement.

On Thursday, the Houthi group reported that Al-Salif District in Al Hudaydah Governorate had been targeted by five airstrikes from American and British forces.

Al Hudaydah Airport, situated in the southern part of the governorate along the Red Sea in western Yemen, features a three-kilometer-long runway. It also has three vital ports in addition to a long coastal strip.

Since the beginning of 2024, a coalition led by the US has been conducting airstrikes that it said are targeting Houthi locations in parts of Yemen in response to attacks by the group in the Red Sea. The counterattacks have been occasionally met with retaliation from the group.

In solidarity with Gaza, which is facing a devastating Israeli offensive with American support, the Houthis targeted Israeli cargo ships or those associated with Tel Aviv in the Red Sea with missiles and drones, expressing determination to continue operations until the end of the war on the enclave.

With the intervention of Washington and London and an escalation of tensions, the Houthis announced that they now consider all American and British ships as military targets.

*Writing by Ikram Kouachi