US Strikes Target Yemen’s Red Sea Province of Hodeidah

Yemen’s Saba news agency reported three US-British airstrikes in the same district in Yemen’s Red Sea province of Hodeidah on Wednesday.

Details of the attack are unclear, but US Central Command said Wednesday in a press release that its forces launched strikes on Houthi-controlled Yemen, which includes Hodeidah. CENTCOM claims that it destroyed a Houthi “surface-to-air missile and radar system.”

While the Saba report said it was a joint US-British attack, CENTCOM gave no indication that the UK was involved. The UK has joined the US in several rounds of airstrikes in Yemen since the bombing campaign started back in January.

The US bombing campaign has not deterred Houthi attacks on commercial shipping that were started last year in response to Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza.

A Greek-flagged oil tanker came under attack in the Red Sea on Wednesday and was left “not under command” and drifting in the waters, according to the British military. So far, the Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, have not taken credit for the attack.

The Houthis have been clear that they would stop their attacks on shipping if there were a ceasefire in Gaza, and the US has acknowledged that they would likely be true to their word. But instead of putting real pressure on Israel to agree to a deal, the US continues the bombing campaign in Yemen.

According to the Yemen Data Project, 23 US-led strikes on Yemen were recorded in July. Israel also bombed Hodeidah in July in response to a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv. The Israeli strikes killed at least six civilians and were labeled a “possible war crime” due to the targeting of civilian infrastructure.

It was clear from the start that the US bombing campaign against the Houthis would only escalate the situation. The US backed a brutal Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis from 2015-2022 that involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became more of a capable fighting force during that time.

The war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are now blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.