Houthis say joint US-UK strikes killed 14

A Houthi-run television channel said that 14 people were killed and another 30 injured in joint strikes by the United States and Britain in what the two western countries said was a bid to degrade Houthi rebels' ability to conduct attacks on maritime shipping.

"The death toll from the US-British air strikes on the Hodeida radio station and the port of Salif has risen to 14, with more than 30 injured," the Iran-backed Yemeni rebels' Al-Masirah station reported.

It was not immediately possible to independently verify the toll.

AFP journalists heard loud explosions in the capital Sanaa and the port city of Hodeida overnight from Thursday to Friday.

The Houthi-controlled television channel Al-Masirah said strikes had also targeted telecoms infrastructure in the town of Taez.

The British defense ministry said in a statement that its planes launched strikes in "a joint operation with US forces against Houthi military facilities to degrade their ability to persist with their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden."

The ministry said intelligence had indicated that two sites near Hodeida had been involved in the attacks on shipping, "with a number of buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long range drones, as well as surface to air weapons."

Further south, another site "had also been identified as being involved in the command and control of their anti-shipping campaign," it added.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that a total of 13 Houthi-held sites were targeted, adding the strikes were "necessary to protect our forces, ensure freedom of navigation, and make international waters safer and more secure."

Since January, the United States and Britain have launched retaliatory strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the rebels' attacks in the vital waterways.

But the strikes have done little to deter the Huthis, who have vowed to target US and British vessels as well as all ships heading to Israeli ports.

Ships hit

Since November, the Houthis have been attacking shipping around the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been at war with the militant group Hamas since Oct. 7.

The Iran-backed Houthis said Wednesday that they had attacked a Greek-owned bulk carrier and several other vessels in response to Israeli strikes on the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.

The bulk carrier Laax, a Marshall Islands-flagged and Greek-operated vessel, reported being hit by three missiles, according to CENTCOM and maritime security firms. The vessel was damaged but able to continue its voyage.

In March, a ship loaded with fertiliser sank in the Gulf of Aden after it was damaged by missiles fired by the Houthis.

And in November, the rebels seized the vehicle transporter Galaxy Leader and its crew in a helicopter-borne attack.

The Houthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of global trade.