DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: The forces of United States and the United Kingdom (UK) launched a fourth round of strikes against targets in Yemen, Huthi media said Thursday, as the Iran-backed rebels vowed to continue attacking ships in the Red Sea.
“We will continue targeting Israeli ships heading to the ports of occupied Palestine, no matter how the US-British aggression tries to prevent us from doing so,” a Huthi military official told the rebels-run Al-Masirah TV.
Al-Masirah and Huthi news agency Saba.net said the US and UK strikes had hit several targets in Yemen, including the port city of Hodeida and the city of Taez, the fourth round of strikes in the past week.
US media quoting US officials said another round of strikes had been carried out against an unspecified number of Huthi targets in Yemen.
The Iran-backed rebels’ promise to continue attacking shipping in the Red Sea is in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Israel is fighting with the Islamist militant group Hamas.
The fresh incidents came after a US announcement that the Huthis had been put back on its list of “terrorist” entities because of their Red Sea attacks.
READ ALSO: US Condemns Iranian Strikes on Pakistan, Iraq and Syria: State Dept
The US and UK jointly hit nearly 30 sites in Yemen with more than 150 munitions last week, while US forces later attacked a Huthi radar site.
The Huthis said late Wednesday they had attacked a ship with a drone off Yemen. The UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) security agency confirmed a drone hit a vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
While a Huthi spokesman said they had targeted a US ship, British maritime risk management company Ambrey said the vessel was a Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier. The UKMTO said a fire on board the ship had been extinguished and the “vessel and crew are safe”.
