US strikes on Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen wound 8 people

US strikes on Houthis in Yemen wounded eight; Houthis retaliated.

Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed that a series of US airstrikes on territories under their control, including the Yemeni capital Sanaa, left at least eight people wounded.

"Eight citizens, including two children, were wounded when the American enemy targeted a residential district" west of Al-Rawda in Sanaa, the Huthi-run Saba news agency stated.

The Houthi administration's health ministry was cited as the source for this provisional toll.

According to an AFP report, its correspondent in Sanaa heard explosions in the city earlier on Saturday.

In addition to Sanaa, the Houthis, who control vast areas of the war-ravaged country, said that strikes also took place in other regions, including their stronghold in Saada, located in the north.

The Houthis also claimed that the Ras Issa fuel port in the western Hodeida region — the site of a recent deadly strike where they report 80 fatalities — was again hit.

Part of Iran’s "axis of resistance" against Israel and the US, the Houthis position themselves as defenders of Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war. They have frequently launched missiles and drones at Israel, as well as at cargo vessels navigating the critical Red Sea trade route.

Since January 2024, the US military has been targeting Houthi positions, aiming to stop their attacks. The US has intensified these strikes since President Donald Trump's administration, with almost daily raids in the past month.

On Saturday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for launching a missile and two drones at Israel, which the Israeli army intercepted, according to reports.

That same day, CENTCOM, the US military command for the region, released footage of the US aircraft carriers Harry S. Truman and Carl Vinson carrying out strikes against Houthi targets.

(With inputs from AFP)