U.S., UK jointly launch strikes on Houthi sites in Red Sea port city

The U.S.-British maritime coalition launched two strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen's Red Sea port city of Hodeidah on Saturday morning, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.

The U.S. retaliatory strikes came a few hours after the Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile attack on a British oil tanker, Marlin Luanda, in the Gulf of Aden on Friday.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a British maritime observer agency, confirmed the attack on the tanker and said on X that the tanker called for assistance after it caught fire following the Houthi missile attack.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command said it conducted a self-defense strike against a Houthi missile.

On Friday, tens of thousands of Yemenis who support the Houthi group protested in solidarity with Palestinians, rejecting U.S.-British sanctions on Houthi senior officials and denouncing airstrikes on northern Yemen, much of which is controlled by the Houthis, including the capital, Sanaa, and the strategic Red Sea port city of Hodeidah.

Participants waved Palestinian-Yemeni flags, held placards with images of Houthi leaders and chanted slogans against the United States and Israel.

Also on Friday, Israeli raids along the Lebanese-Israeli border killed four Hezbollah members and wounded five civilians.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Chinese media agency Xinhua that the casualties resulted from Israeli airstrikes on three houses in Bayt Lif, a village in southern Lebanon.

They said Israeli drones carried out 12 airstrikes on six towns and villages in the area, using 28 missiles, noting that Israeli artillery, in addition, fired about 80 shells at 18 locations in southern Lebanon.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters attacked several Israeli positions with Falaq-1 missiles for the first time.

The Lebanese-Israeli border has been witnessing increased tension since October 8, 2023, after Hezbollah fired dozens of rockets toward Israel in support of the Hamas attack on Israel the previous day, prompting Israel to respond by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

The clashes have killed 234 people on the Lebanese side, including 168 Hezbollah members and 39 civilians, according to Lebanese security sources.

As of Friday, over 26,000 Palestinians in the Gaza strip have been killed since the new round of Palestinian-Israel conflict, Gaza's health ministry said. 

(Cover: Armed members of Houthi group march within a demonstration against the attacks of United States and United Kingdom in Sanaa, Yemen on January 24, 2024. /CFP)