WASHINGTON: The US and UK have conducted joint attacks on Houthi military targets in Yemen for the second time, US officials said on Monday.
Earlier this month, American and British forces targeted more than a dozen sites used by Houthis in retaliatory strikes after attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea.
The UK’s Ministry of Defense said special care was taken to minimize any risks to civilians and that is why the strikes were conducted during the night.
Yemeni press agency, SABA, earlier this month reported that the first UK and US attacks took place in the capital, Sanaa, and the governorates of Sadah, Hodeidah, Taiz, and Dhamar.
A Houthi official said the initial attacks killed at least five people and injured six, adding that they would not go unanswered.
The US also launched another strike against a Houthi target in Yemen.
Houthis target US military cargo vessel
Meanwhile, Houthis on Monday claimed they had targeted a US military cargo vessel off the coast of Yemen, but the United States denied an attack had taken place.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said that a military operation targeted the American military cargo ship Ocean Jazz in the Gulf of Aden, near the Red Sea, with missiles.
Yemen is just one part of a growing crisis in the Middle East amid the war in Gaza, where Israel’s relentless bombardment and ground offensive have killed 25,295 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
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Houthis have vowed to continue attacks until Israel stops its war on Gaza, and warned that it would attack US warships if it was targeted.
They had called for all ships planning to cross the Red Sea to inform them in advance about their destinations and declare no connections to Israel to avoid being attacked.
Earlier, Yemen’s internationally recognized Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) had warned the Houthis against driving Yemen into a war with global powers over their Red Sea strikes.
