US Intensifies Air Campaign on Yemen with 24 New Strikes as Tensions Escalate in Red Sea
Explosions were also reported in Sana’a, the Houthi-held capital, where one particularly forceful blast rocked northern districts of the city overnight.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — The United States has launched a new wave of aerial assaults on Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen, with 24 separate airstrikes reported early Saturday, across four provinces. This latest escalation marks a deepening of Washington’s military engagement in the region, as Houthi forces remain defiant in their disruption of global shipping lanes through the Red Sea.
According to local sources, ten of the strikes targeted the towns of Khab, Sha'af, and al-Jawf in northern Yemen. Explosions were also reported in Sana’a, the Houthi-held capital, where one particularly forceful blast rocked northern districts of the city overnight.
Houthi-affiliated media channels claimed that U.S. warplanes bombarded the Bani Hashish district in the capital and struck three additional targets in Harf Sufyan, a district in northern Amran province. They also reported four airstrikes on Houthi installations at the Ras Isa oil terminal in the al-Salif area of Hodeidah province — a key node in Yemen’s fuel infrastructure.
Despite the bombings, the Houthis reportedly continue to detain nearly 10 cargo vessels docked at Ras Isa. Yemeni media sources say the rebel leadership has ordered these vessels to anchor near the ports under their control in order to offload fuel supplies through primitive means, defying a U.S.-enforced ban on fuel shipments to Houthi-held areas.
British Maritime Authority Confirms Vessel Attacks
The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) confirmed on Thursday, that Houthi forces had intercepted and attacked multiple commercial vessels. The incidents forced the ships to reroute to alternative ports to discharge their cargo. The UKMTO warned that such attacks pose a significant threat to ships approaching Houthi-controlled ports, raising alarm over the safety of navigation in the region.
“The risk to visiting vessels is tangible,” a British maritime authority spokesperson said, emphasizing the growing danger to international shipping that travels near Yemen’s western coastline.
Western Airstrikes Escalate under ‘Operation Rough Rider’
The renewed American bombardment follows the UK’s entry into the fray under the U.S.-led Operation Rough Rider, marking London’s first strike under President Donald Trump’s renewed campaign against the Houthis. The British Royal Air Force, utilizing Typhoon FGR4 jets equipped with Paveway IV precision-guided munitions, coordinated its operation with U.S. forces to hit suspected drone production facilities south of Sana’a.
These sites, according to the UK Ministry of Defense, were believed to be instrumental in the Houthis’ repeated assaults on Red Sea and Gulf of Aden shipping lanes. Though exact casualty figures remain undisclosed, the strikes were executed during the night to minimize civilian losses.
As one of Iran’s key proxies in the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” the Houthis remain a rare militant group actively targeting Israel, further entrenching their role in the region’s complex geopolitical landscape.
Strategic Maritime Routes Under Threat
The growing Western military involvement in Yemen underscores mounting international concerns over the stability of vital maritime trade corridors. With both American and British warplanes now engaged, the risk of broader escalation looms large, especially as diplomatic efforts to curb Houthi aggression and defuse Iran-backed militancy remain elusive.
