Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa [Getty]
Suspected U.S. airstrikes pummeled sites across parts of Yemen controlled by the Houthi group early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa.
The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn’t immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15.
An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the U.S. moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.
Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebel’s stronghold of Saada and in Yemen’s al-Jawf, Amran and Marib governorates.
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what at those sites had been targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport.Â
An Associated Press video showed one bomb dropping into Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky as many people were awake in the final days of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19 strikes there alone.
The U.S. military’s Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information in this campaign.
The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis say have killed at least 57 people, follow the Yemeni group’s resumption of targeting ships again over Israel’s blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels have targeted what they say ships owned or related to Israel.
The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.
