US denies Houthi reports of fresh strikes in Yemen
People take part in a protest in the streets of the Yemeni Red Sea city of Hudeida, to condemn US and British strikes on Huthi rebel-held cities, on January 12, 2024
Hodeida – The United States denied Yemeni rebel reports that it carried out new attacks Sunday on rebel targets in Yemen.
Huthi media said US and British strikes had hit rebel-held Hodeida, but a US defence official speaking on condition of anonymity said, “No US or coalition strike occurred today”.
The Ansar Allah news website of the rebel group had earlier said that “air strikes from the American-British aggression hit Hodeida”.
The website cited a security source as saying the strikes hit the Jabal Jada area in Al-Luhaya district of Hodeida governorate, on Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
US and British forces on Friday said they hit scores of rebel targets across Yemen, heightening fears that Israel’s war with Palestinian Hamas militants could engulf the region.
The US and British strikes came in response to the Iran-backed Huthis’ attacks on Red Sea shipping vessels which they say are linked to Israel. The rebels say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Hamas militants have been battling Israel for more than three months.
Late Friday the US military said it had conducted a “follow-on” strike against a Huthi radar site, following the initial barrage early Friday against rebel military facilities.