Sanaa/ Wellington, Jan 23: The US-British coalition struck Houthi camps in Yemen’s capital and other provinces at midnight, the media reported on Tuesday.
The strikes targetted the al-Hafa camp in eastern Sanaa and the al-Daylami air base in the north. They also hit sites in Rada, a city in the central province of al-Bayda, and Maqbanah area in the southwestern province of Taiz, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said without giving details. Residents said the explosions were powerful and their sounds could be heard across the city, Xinhua news agency reported.
Meanwhile, US media reported that the US and Britain carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen late Monday, the eighth round of attacks on the rebels’ camps in just over 10 days. The strikes came hours after the Houthis said they launched a missile attack at a US military ship in the Gulf of Aden on Monday and claimed a direct hit. The US side did not comment on the alleged attack.
The US-Britain maritime coalition in the Red Sea has carried out several airstrikes on Houthi camps in various northern provinces of Yemen. The coalition said these actions are aimed at preventing the Houthi group from launching missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea shipping lane.
The Houthi group vowed to continue targetting ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea until Israel ends its war and blockade on Gaza, a Palestinian territory.
Last week, the US re-designated the Houthi group as a global terrorist organisation and said the move would not affect food and medicine supplies to northern Yemen.
New Zealand to send defence team to Red Sea
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Tuesday said that his government will be sending a small defence team to the Middle East to safeguard Red Sea shipping, the media reported. The country will be deploying a six-member New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) team to uphold maritime security in the Red Sea to ensure global trade, Prime Minister Luxon said, Xinhua news agency reported.
“This deployment, as part of an international coalition, is a continuation of New Zealand’s long history of defending freedom of navigation both in the Middle East and closer to home,” Luxon said. Almost 15 per cent of global trade goes through the Red Sea, and the Houthi attacks are driving costs higher for exporters and causing delays to shipments, he said. (IANS)