US Launches Heavy Strikes in Yemen

By Dave DeCamp – Antiwar.com

The US has launched several rounds of strikes on Yemen over the past few days as its war against the Houthis in the Red Sea continues.

US Central Command reported fresh strikes on Houthi-controlled Yemen, which is where most of the country’s population lives, on July 11, July 12, and July 14. Yemeni media reported the attacks each day and described them as joint US-British strikes, although it’s unclear if the UK was involved.

In the latest attack on Sunday, Yemen’s SABA news agency reported three strikes in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah. “A security source told SABA that the US-British aggression aircraft targeted Hodeidah International Airport with two raids, and launched a raid on the Bheisi area of Alluheyah district,” the news agency said.

There’s no indication if there were casualties in the three days of US strikes on Yemen. CENTCOM typically claims that its strikes destroy Houthi drones or some other type of military equipment that it deems a threat. According to the Yemen Data Project, joint US-British airstrikes killed 16 Yemeni civilians on May 30.

CENTCOM has also reported that US naval forces have been downing and intercepting Houthi missiles and drones. The US has already spent over $1 billion on munitions in its new war with the Houthis in what US commanders are calling the largest US naval battle since World War II.

Since the US and the UK began bombing Yemen in January, the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have only escalated their attacks on Israel-linked and other commercial shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, and beyond. There were more Houthi attacks on shipping in June than in any other month of this year.

The Houthis have been clear the only way they’ll stop their attacks is if there’s a ceasefire in Gaza. Tim Lenderking, the US’s envoy to Yemen, has acknowledged the Houthis would likely be true to their word, but the US continues to support Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza instead of pushing for a unilateral ceasefire.

The US backed a brutal Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis from 2015-2022 that involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became a more capable fighting force during that time.

The war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are now blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.