Intense wave of suspected US airstrikes hit Houthi-held cities, airport
Particularly fierce attacks injure at least seven according to initial reports, though true extent of damage not immediately known; US yet to offer information on action
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Suspected US airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa.
The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn’t immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began on March 15.
An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under US President Donald Trump appears more extensive than those under former president Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.
Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebels’ stronghold of Saada, and in Yemen’s al-Jawf Amran, and Marib governorates.
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what had been specifically targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital are also home to military and intelligence service sites, as well as crowded with civilians.
An Associated Press video showed one bomb dropping into Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky, with many people awake in the final days of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
There was a time when #Israel, but not the U.S. under the Biden administration, was hitting Sanaa Airport which is used by the #Houthis for military purposes in #Yemen. But tonight the U.S. under the Trump administration is doing so. pic.twitter.com/QkpZ6zBkCR
— Jason Brodsky (@JasonMBrodsky) March 28, 2025
Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. The Houthis’ al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19 strikes there alone.
The US military’s Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information in this campaign.
The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis say have killed at least 57 people, started after the rebels threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel’s blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.
The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.
The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.
The Times of Israel Community.