Two rounds of Israeli airstrikes on Yemen in December killed 15 civilians and wounded 43 others, according to a monthly update from the Yemen Data Project (YDP).
The YDP said that every Israeli airstrike in Yemen since July “hit non-military, civilian targets with no Houthi military sites being bombed, resulting in an unprecedented rate of civilian harm.”
The YDP also recorded 13 US-UK strikes in Yemen in the month of December and said they resulted in no civilian casualties. Eight of the strikes hit Houthi military targets, and the targets of the other five couldn’t be identified.
Israel’s airstrikes in Yemen have mainly focused on energy infrastructure. But on December 26, Israel launched a series of attacks that included strikes on the Sanaa International Airport, which killed three civilians and almost killed the head of the World Health Organization (WHO), who was about to board a plane.
Israel’s most recent strikes on Yemen were launched on January 10, which were not included in the YDP report. According to media reports, the Israeli strikes again targeted powerplants and ports and killed at least one person.
The Israeli strikes on Yemen in December came as the Houthis stepped up their attacks on Israel. “December was the most active month since October 7, 2023, for Houthi attacks aimed at Israel. The Houthis launched 15 projectiles at Israel in the month,” the YDP report said.
Most of the Houthis attacks on Israel were intercepted, but some made it past air defenses. The Houthis also increased attacks on US warships in the Red Sea, and there were no recorded attacks against commercial vessels in December.
Sunday marked one year since President Biden launched his bombing campaign against the Houthis in defense of Israeli shipping. Since then, the situation only escalated as the Houthis began targeting US and British shipping in response.
The Houthis began their attacks on Israel and Israeli-linked shipping in response to the US-backed Israeli onslaught in Gaza and have maintained that a ceasefire in Gaza is the only way they’ll stop.
From 2015-2022, the US backed the Saudi war on Yemen, which involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became a more capable fighting force during that time.
According to the UN, 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 blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.
