U.S.-British coalition launches airstrike on Houthi stronghold in N. Yemen

SANAA, March 27 (Xinhua) -- The U.S.-British coalition launched airstrike on Yemen's northern province of Saada on Wednesday, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The strike hit the area of al-Kutaynat in the district of Baqim, the television said without providing further information.

Saada is the stronghold of Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi and the group's key commanders.

The coalition has yet to comment on the incident.

On Tuesday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching several missile attacks against four shipping vessels transiting the Red Sea in the past three days.

The coalition has been carrying out strikes against Houthi capabilities since January in a bid to deter the group from attacking commercial ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Earlier in March, a UK-registered oil tanker sank in the Red Sea after it was hit with anti-ship ballistic missiles.

After the Yemeni civil war erupted in late 2014, the Houthi militia expanded its control from its stronghold in Saada and seized several other northern provinces including the capital Sanaa and the strategic port city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea.