US launches major airstrikes on Houthi sites across Yemen

Aden, April 16 (IANS) The United States has carried out extensive airstrikes against Houthi targets across Yemen on Wednesday.

US aircraft reportedly struck more than 50 Houthi sites across multiple provinces in the north, center and west of Yemen, according to reports by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

The Houthis did not disclose the number of casualties as a result of the US airstrikes, vowing that the US attacks "will not go unanswered."

The group said it will continue to attack vessels with links to Israel or the United States.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Tuesday night that a vessel approximately 100 nautical miles east of Aden was pursued by armed individuals in multiple small craft for about two hours, with shots fired during the encounter, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The Master altered course towards the Yemeni coastline and the small craft subsequently left the vicinity. All crew are safe and well," the UKMTO statement said, adding, "The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call."

This marks the first such incident reported by UKMTO in the area in several months.

Earlier on Sunday, the Houthi group announced that it had shot down another US MQ-9 drone, the 19th it has downed since November 2023.

"A US MQ-9 drone was shot down while carrying out hostile missions in the airspace of Hajjah province" in northwestern Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

Sarea added that the drone was downed by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile, stressing "the ongoing US aggression" has not crippled the group's military capabilities.

The US resumed its air campaign against Houthi forces on March 15, stating that its strikes were aimed at deterring the group from launching attacks against Israeli and US naval assets in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who control vast areas of northern Yemen, have been attacking Israeli targets since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians under Israeli bombardment in the Gaza Strip.

--IANS

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