Houthis Step Up Attacks in Hodeidah amid UN Silence

UN vehicles at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)
UN vehicles at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)
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Houthis Step Up Attacks in Hodeidah amid UN Silence

UN vehicles at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)
UN vehicles at the Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen. (Reuters)

The UN observer mission based in Yemen’s western coastal Hodeidah governorate has remained silent over the growing attacks by Houthi militias that are threatening to collapse a fragile UN-sponsored truce agreement that was signed back in 2018.

The militias, backed by Iran, launched missile strikes on Tuesday that targeted an industrial complex and a number of civilian neighborhoods in Hodeidah, war monitors of pro-government joint Yemeni forces reported.

Within a window of eight hours, the militias violated the Stockholm Agreement 86 times, they added, confirming that the Iran-aligned group is waging a hostile military escalation in Hodeidah.

The assaults resulted in substantial material damage and managed to spread fear and panic among locals.

This is not the first time the militants target the “Ikhwan Thabit” industrial and commercial complex.

War monitors also reported Houthis using medium and heavy weapons, mortar shells and drones to target residential areas and farms in the Hays and al-Duraihimi districts, located in Hodeidah’s south.

Military sources have previously confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Houthis are seeking to expand the range of combat lines and make advances in Hodeidah’s southern and eastern fronts.

The Houthis have stepped up their attacks in the Hays, al-Hok, Tahita and al-Duraihimi districts.

On Monday, Houthis used katyusha rockets to target al-Mandhar residential neighborhood in al-Hok.

Several houses in al-Mandhar were either hit or badly damaged by the attack. At least five houses were totally destroyed by the indiscriminate shelling.

Houthi constant bombardment of populated areas has caused panic throughout Hodeidah and forced hundreds of families to leave their homes.

The UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), led by General Abhijit Guha, failed to condemn the recent aggressions.

Instead, the observer mission keeps to issuing statements denouncing the escalation and calling for restraint.



Suspected US Airstrikes in Yemen Kill at Least 4 People Near Hodeidah

A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
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Suspected US Airstrikes in Yemen Kill at Least 4 People Near Hodeidah

A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah
A man holds a rifle as protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to mark the annual al-Quds Day (Jerusalem Day) on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Sanaa, Yemen March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah

Suspected US airstrikes battered Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into Wednesday, with the militias saying that one strike killed at least four people near the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

The intense campaign of airstrikes in Yemen under US President Donald Trump, targeting the militias over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters stemming from the Israel-Hamas war, has killed at least 65 people, according to casualty figures released by the Houthis.

The campaign appears to show no signs of stopping as the Trump administration again linked their airstrikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis to an effort to pressure Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program. While so far giving no specifics about the campaign and its targets, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt put the overall number of strikes on Tuesday at more than 200.

“Iran is incredibly weakened as a result of these attacks, and we have seen they have taken out Houthi leaders,” Leavitt said. “They’ve taken out critical members who were launching strikes on naval ships and on commercial vessels and this operation will not stop until the freedom of navigation in this region is restored.”

Overnight, a likely US airstrike targeted what the Houthis described as a “water project” in Hodeidah governorate's Mansuriyah District, killing four people and wounding others. Other strikes into Wednesday targeted Hajjah, Saada and Sanaa governorates, the militias said.