U.S.-British warplanes hit Yemen's Houthi camps

SANAA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Houthi camps in Yemen's capital Sanaa were hit by airstrikes on Saturday night, residents told Xinhua.

The airstrikes hit camps around Sanaa, and the sound of many fighter jets could be heard in downtown Sanaa, residents said.

The explosions occurred in the northern and southern mountains surrounding the capital, added the residents.

According to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the airstrikes hit the mountain of al-Nahdain and Attan, both military camps controlled by the Houthi group.

Residents near those mountains told Xinhua the explosions were very powerful, shaking the ground and smashing windows of many nearby buildings.

Meanwhile, al-Masirah TV said "U.S.-British aggression" launched airstrikes on targets in the capital city.

The U.S.-British maritime coalition did not comment on the strikes. However, U.S. media quoted unnamed U.S. military officials who said the U.S. army hit over 30 Houthis on Saturday in various locations in Yemen, including the capital Sanaa. The officials claimed the airstrikes were part of the response to the drone attack that killed three U.S. soldiers in Jordan last week.

This was the fourth operation by the U.S.-led coalition against Houthi targets in under 24 hours.

Hours before the latest airstrikes on Sanaa, the U.S. Central Command briefed on previous strikes on the same day on social media platform X, saying that "at 7:20 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted strikes in self-defense against six Houthi anti-ship cruise missiles prepared to launch against ships in the Red Sea."

"U.S. forces identified the cruise missiles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region," it added.

The Houthi group on Saturday evening reported several strikes on the western province of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.

The group said the strikes targeted sites in the northern district of Alluheyah and the southern district of Durayhimi.

The Houthis usually do not report casualties.

The previous strikes targeted Houthi sites in the northern province of Saada and the northwestern province of Hajjah during the early morning of Saturday.

On Friday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching a long-range missile toward Israel's city of Eilat, which Israeli defense forces said they intercepted and destroyed the missile before it reached its target.

The Houthis have launched more than 40 attacks against Israel and Israeli-linked commercial ships in the Red Sea since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on Oct. 7, 2023.

The Houthis said their attacks came in support of the Palestinian people, demanding Israel to end war and siege on Gaza.

The Houthi group, which controls the Yemeni strategic province of Hodeidah on the Red Sea, has vowed to launch more attacks against Israel, U.S. and British commercial vessels and navy ships in the Red Sea.

Houthi leaders have said the U.S.-British airstrikes on the group's sites in northern Yemen will not deter them from launching more attacks on the shipping lines.