Eight US and British strikes hit several Houthi positions in the south and north of Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Thursday and Friday, the group admitted.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the supercarrier USS Theodore Roosevelt has arrived in the 5th Fleet area of operations taking over for the carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, as part of Washington’s mission to protect navigation and thwart the pro-Iranian group's attacks on commercial shipping.
Since November 19, the Iranian-backed Houthi group has carried out attacks in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, saying they are trying to block Israeli-linked vessels regardless of their nationality, as well as American and British vessels.
While the group claimed to expand its attacks on commercial shipping into the Mediterranean Sea and Israeli ports, reports indicated that the pace of such attacks decreased this month as no maritime incidents were detected.
On Friday, a Houthi-run television station admitted the US-British naval coalition launched three airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi-controlled Hodeidah airport.
It also confirmed that the US-British coalition launched five airstrikes in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on Thursday.
The Houthis did not mention the effects of these strikes. But the US Central Command said on social media platform X that its forces destroyed five Houthi unmanned boats and three bomb-laden drones in the Red Sea.
The US forces also successfully destroyed two Houthi uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) over the Red Sea and one Houthi UAS in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, the Central Command said.
It added that these systems presented an imminent threat to US, coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region. “These actions were taken to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters more safe and secure,” the Command added.
166 Ships
Meanwhile, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi said in a televised speech on Thursday that “a total of 166 ships linked to Israel, US, and Britain” had been targeted by his group since November 2023.
The Houthi leader then admitted that since January 12, his group was targeted by 570 attacks, including airstrikes and naval bombardments, killing 57 and injuring 87.
Al-Houthi then revealed that the number of mobilization forces has reached 372,174 trained fighters ready for combat.
Early on Friday, British security firm Ambrey said that a merchant vessel reported two explosions about 21 nautical miles (39 km) west of Yemen's Mocha.
One “missile” impacted the water and another exploded in the air, the vessel reported to Ambrey, adding that both explosions occurred within 0.5 nautical miles of the vessel, according to Reuters.
Damage Toll
Since the conflict between the Houthis and the West escalated in the Red Sea, Houthi attacks have targeted 28 ships. Two of them sank, including the Liberian-flagged, Greek-owned-and-operated Tutor and the Belize-flagged Rubymar, which carried a load of fertilizer.
Also, three merchant sailors were dead and four others were injured after a missile hit Greek-operated ship M/V True Confidence in an attack claimed by the Houthis last March.
The Yemeni Houthis are still seizing the commercial ship Galaxy Leader, captured by the group last November.
The US Army said that attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi group in the Red Sea have affected the interests of 55 countries, threatening a key maritime route essential for a significant share of global container traffic.
