U.S.-British coalition launches retaliatory strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen's Red Sea port city

SANAA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-British maritime coalition launched two strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Saturday morning, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The strikes, which came a few hours after the Houthis struck a British oil tanker, hit the Ras Issa coastal area in the northwestern part of the city, the report said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command said it conducted a self-defense strike against a Houthi missile.

"On Jan. 27 at approximately 3:45 a.m. (Yemen time), the U.S. Central Command Forces conducted a strike against a Houthi anti-ship missile aimed at the Red Sea and which was prepared to launch," the U.S. Central Command said on X, formerly Twitter.

"The U.S. Forces identified the missile in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined it presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and the U.S. Navy ships in the region. The U.S. Forces subsequently struck and destroyed the missile in self-defense," it said.

The U.S. retaliatory strikes came a few hours after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a British oil tanker, Marlin Luanda, in the Gulf of Aden on Friday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime observer agency, confirmed the attack on the tanker and said on X that the tanker called for assistance after it caught fire following the Houthi missile attack.

The Houthi forces control much of northern Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

On Jan. 17, the United States re-designated the Houthi group as a "global terrorist organization" and said the designation would take effect next month.