10 Houthi operatives killed by US drone strikes in Yemen: Govt source

Sanaa (The Uttam Hindu): At least 10 Houthi operatives were killed in two separate US drone strikes in Yemen's central Al-Bayda province, a Yemeni government military source told the media. The strikes targeted mobile rocket launchers in the As-Sawma'ah and Dhi-Na'im districts, the source said on Tuesday on condition of anonymity. Local residents reported on social media that Houthi forces cordoned off the targeted vehicles and blocked roads leading to the sites.

Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV also reported the two strikes by "US drones," without providing further details, as the Houthi group rarely discloses information about its casualties or losses. Earlier on Tuesday, Houthi television reported three airstrikes by "US-British navy coalition warplanes" against the Al-Fazah area, a few kilometres south of the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, but provided no further details on these strikes. Also on Tuesday, US Central Command posted on social media platform X, stating, "Aircraft from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) support operations against Iran-backed Houthis in the US Central Command area of responsibility," along with a video showing warplanes taking off from an aircraft carrier.

Al-Masirah TV has reported multiple airstrikes by US-British coalition warplanes in the capital Sanaa, as well as in the Amran and Saada provinces, over the past three days. Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war since the Houthi group seized control of several northern provinces in late 2014, forcing the internationally recognised Yemeni government out of Sanaa. Since last November, the Houthi group has launched rocket and drone attacks on Israel and disrupted "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea, reportedly in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

In response, the US-led navy coalition stationed in the Red Sea has conducted regular air raids and strikes against Houthi targets since January to deter the group from disrupting international shipping lanes.