Houthis say 37 killed in hundreds of US, UK strikes on Yemen

Smoke rises in the sky following U.S-led airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, February 25, 2024. REUTERS/Adel Al Khader/File Photo

Some 424 US and British airstrikes on targets in Yemen have killed 37 people and wounded 30, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, leader of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement, said on Thursday.

The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas militants, drawing US and British retaliatory strikes since February.

Al-Houthi, in a televised speech, said 90 ships had been targeted in the Red Sea and drone attacks had increased and expanded to additional regions.

He said 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 United States and Britain carried out the strikes against Houthi targets in response to the attacks on shipping.