Suspected US airstrikes have killed at least two people overnight in a stronghold of Yemen's Houthi rebels, the group said. Video of the bombing released by US President Donald Trump suggests the campaign's toll may be higher than the rebels have acknowledged.
The strikes on Saada killed two people and wounded four. Footage broadcast by the Houthi satellite news channel Al-Masirah showed what appeared to be a two-story building collapsing in the strike.
The Iran-backed Houthis have not shown any footage from inside the building, which they described as a solar energy store.
At least 69 people have been killed in an intense Trump-led airstrikes campaign in Yemen targeting rebels who have attacked shipping in Middle Eastern waters in connection with the Israel-Hamas war, according to figures released by the Houthis.
However, the Houthis have not acknowledged any casualties among their security forces or military leadership, a claim that was called into question after a video posted online by Mr Trump.
On Saturday morning, Mr Trump released what appeared to be black-and-white drone video showing a group of several dozen people gathered in a circle.
During the 25-second video, an explosion is heard, leaving behind a huge crater.
“These Houthis have gathered to receive instructions for the attack,” Mr. Trump said, without giving the location of the attack or any other details about the strike.
“Oops, no attack from those Houthis! They will never sink our ships again!”
The U.S. military's Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, has not released the video or provided any specific details about the strikes since March 15.
The White House said more than 200 strikes have hit the Houthis so far.
Yemen's rebel-controlled Saba news agency, citing an anonymous source, described the blast as an attack targeting “a public visit to mark the Eid holiday in Hodeida governorate.”
Muslims around the world have just celebrated Eid al-Fitr, the holiday marking the end of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Saba posted photos of other commanders meeting with militants during the holiday, although no senior Houthi officials were present.
“Those present at this meeting had nothing to do with the operations carried out by the (Houthis) who are implementing the decision to ban navigation of ships linked to American and Israeli enemies,” Saba said in a statement, adding that “dozens of people” were killed and wounded in the attack.
However, the Houthis have not previously acknowledged any strikes on Hodeida during this time with such a high number of casualties.
Saba's report also did not indicate that those killed were civilians, suggesting they were linked to security forces or rebel military.
Mohammed al-Basha, a Yemen expert at the Basha Report consultancy, cited condolences on social media that said the strike, which Trump mentioned along with his two brothers, killed a colonel who oversaw Houthi police stations in Hodeida.
“The attacks have expanded significantly, hitting multiple provinces simultaneously, as well as telecommunications infrastructure, command posts, facilities linked to the Houthi senior leadership and previously untouched tunnel networks in mountainous areas,” Mr al-Basha said.
“We have also seen direct attacks on Houthi concentrations, indicating a more aggressive and evolving targeting strategy,” Mr. al-Basha said.
An Associated Press review found that the new U.S. operation against the Houthis under Trump appears to be more ambitious than those carried out under former U.S. President Joe Biden, as Washington moves from solely targeting launch sites to targeting high-profile targets and dropping bombs on cities.
The new airstrikes came after rebels threatened to attack Israeli ships again because Israel was blocking humanitarian aid from reaching the Gaza Strip.
The rebels have roughly identified what the Israeli vessel is, meaning that many ships could be targeted.
From November 2023 to January this year, the Houthis attacked more than 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones, sinking two of them and killing four sailors.
They also launched attacks on US warships, but were unsuccessful.
The attacks have given a major boost to the Houthis, who have faced economic hardship and have launched a crackdown on dissent and aid workers in Yemen amid a decade-long stalemate that has torn apart the Arab world's poorest country.
The campaign shows no signs of abating, with the Trump administration repeatedly linking its airstrikes against the Houthis to efforts to pressure Iran over its rapidly advancing nuclear program.
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
