AIR strikes by the United States pummelled sites across Houthi-controlled Yemen today, including targets in the capital Sanaa.

The extent of the damage and number of casualties wasn’t immediately clear, though the bombing was reported as particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign, which began on March 15.

Initial reports from the Yemeni authorities described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks in Sanaa, which the rebels have held since 2014. 

There were other strikes around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, Saada and in Yemen’s al-Jawf, Amran and Marib governorates.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what had been targeted at those sites, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used by both civilian and military traffic. 

A social media video showed one bomb falling onto Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky. Many people were awake in the final days of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

The US military’s Central Command did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. 

The Yemeni authorities say that the latest US  air strikes have killed at least 57 people.

They started after the Houthis threatened to resume targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel blocking aid from entering the Gaza Strip. 

The Yemeni movement initially began such action in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza after Israel invaded the besieged strip following the Hamas attack of October 7 2023, which killed 1,139 people.

Since then, at least 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel.

The Houthis targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two and killing four sailors, during their campaign targeting Israeli and US ships from November 2023 until January this year.