U.S.-British coalition launches airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah: Houthi TV

SANAA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) — Warplanes of the U.S.-British coalition launched two airstrikes on Yemen’s port city of Hodeidah late Friday night, the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
The strikes targeted an area in the district of Ras Issa, northwest of the city, said the TV, without providing further details. Residents of Hodeidah told Xinhua that they heard loud explosions an hour before midnight.
The U.S.-British coalition has not commented on the incidents, and there have been no reports about casualties yet.
On Thursday, the U.S. Central Command said its forces launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled underground weapons storages in the capital Sanaa and the northern city of Saada. The Houthi group vowed retaliation after the attacks.
The Houthis have been controlling Hodeidah and several other northern cities since late 2014 after the civil war broke out in Yemen, forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of the capital Sanaa.
Since November last year, the Houthi group has been launching rocket and drone attacks targeting what it described as “Israeli-linked” ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
In response, the U.S.-British navy coalition stationed in the waters has been conducting sporadic air raids and strikes against Houthi targets to deter the group. ■