The U.S.-Ansar Allah (Houthi) clash has grown bloodier as deaths and injuries resulting from airstrikes keep rising in Yemen. On Friday, the Houthi group admitted that over 50 people were killed and injured in ten U.S. air raids on sites in Al-Hudaydah, Taiz.
This escalation of military operations points to the deepening war between the Houthis and the American forces, which risks plunging Yemen again into a full-blown war.
Houthi reports revealed yesterday that the American airstrikes on the building of the radio station in Al-Hudaydah and the port of Al-Salif in the Al-Hawk District of Al-Hudaydah left 16 dead and 41 injured. This is the biggest casualty since the start of the U.S., and U.K. began launching airstrikes on Houthi sites in January this year.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said that Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on both Al-Hudaydah and further south in Ghulayfiqah. It described its targets as "buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long-range drones, as well as surface-to-air weapons."
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, "The strikes were taken in self-defense in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose." He added, "There's an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose."
Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the airstrikes damaged the Radio Sation building and the Coast Guard building in the port of Saleef, in addition to damaging many commercial ships in the port.
According to the Houthi sources, the airstrikes' casualties are civilians. Authorities in Sanaa said the American airstrikes are "flagrant violations of international laws and a blatant infringement on the sovereign right of the Republic of Yemen".
In response to the U.S. airstrikes, the Houthis said yesterday they launched a military operation against the American aircraft carrier "Eisenhower" in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command said its forces intercepted several Houthi drones and missiles yesterday. In a statement today, it said, "At approximately 1:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on May 31, Iranian-backed Houthis launched one uncrewed aerial system (UAS) from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Red Sea. The UAS crashed into the Red Sea with no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships."
The Central Command also destroyed one UAS over the Gulf of Aden and three UAS over the Red Sea. The Houthis also launched two anti-ship ballistic missiles into the Gulf of Aden, causing no injury or damage.
As the U.S.-UK airstrikes keep intensifying in Yemen, the Houthis' antagonism towards Riyadh grows. The Houthi-run Saba News Agency said, "Riyadh has two options: the option of peace that Sanaa seeks and which all the Yemeni people aspire to without exception, or submitting to the American desire, which will cost it a heavy price and make it pay the bill for what has passed and what may happen…"
Such rhetoric and escalation propel Yemen further toward a new cycle of war.
