From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Houthis say 37 killed, 30 wounded in hundreds of US, UK strikes on Yemen
Some 424 US and British airstrikes on targets in Yemen have killed 37 people and wounded 30, according to Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The Houthis, who control Yemen’s capital and most populous areas, have been attacking ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November in what they say is a campaign of solidarity with Palestinians during Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, drawing US and British retaliatory strikes since February.
Al-Houthi, in a televised speech, says 90 ships had been targeted in the Red Sea and drone attacks had increased and expanded to additional regions.
He says 34 attacks had been launched in a month, using 125 ballistic missiles and drones.
The Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to take longer and more expensive journeys around the southern tip of Africa.
The US and Britain carried out the strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.
The Biden administration in January re-designated the Houthis as a terrorist organization, partially restoring sanctions it lifted three years ago on the Iran-backed militia group.
