Aden (Yemen), April 10: Approximately 30 per cent of Houthi military capabilities have been destroyed in US strikes over recent weeks, Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said. Al-Eryani said on social media platform X that recent US operations have specifically targeted “the Houthi group’s military capabilities, particularly infrastructure associated with ballistic missiles and drones,” which the group has used to target international shipping in the Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden.
According to local media reports, the US military has conducted more than 365 airstrikes on Houthi targets over the past four weeks. Yemen’s government said that the airstrikes primarily targeted fortified positions and military storage facilities in Houthi-controlled areas across Saada, Sanaa, Amran, and Hodeidah provinces.
Meanwhile, the Houthi group and residents confirmed that various residential areas and civilian entities were also targeted by American warplanes. The Houthi-run health authorities said in a statement on Wednesday that 107 civilians were killed and 223 others injured since the US military resumed airstrikes in northern Yemen on March 15.
In the statement carried by Saba News Agency, Anis Al-Asbahi, spokesperson for the health authorities, “strongly condemned” what he termed “US crimes against Yemeni civilians,” saying, “These crimes reveal the extent of the moral decline of the United States.”
He stressed that the US strikes have failed to “break the will of the Yemeni people, who continue to support the Palestinian cause and stand with the oppressed Palestinian people.” However, the Yemeni government views the current situation as a favourable opportunity to restore state authority, according to al-Eryani.
The Houthis, which control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, have been fighting against the internationally-recognised government since 2014, Xinhua news agency reported.
The Houthi group resumed attacks on Israeli-linked interests in the region in March following the collapse of the Gaza ceasefire deal, claiming its operations aim to put an end to the Israeli offensive in Gaza and facilitate the return of humanitarian aid to Palestinian territories.
On March 15, the US military restarted airstrikes on northern Yemen, aimed at deterring the Houthi group from targeting Israel. The latest round of US airstrikes took place on Tuesday night, targeting the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, Sanaa, and the provinces of Amran, Dhamar, and Ibb.
The airstrikes on Hodeidah alone killed 10 people and injured 16 others, mostly women and children, according to local health authorities. The US military has yet to comment on the incidents but vowed in recent statements that it will continue striking Houthi targets until the group stops operations against Israeli targets and vessels in the Red Sea.
IANS