US and British forces bombed the airport in Yemen’s Houthi-controlled city of Hodeidah late Friday, al-Masira TV, which is close to the rebel movement, reported.

The “attack” by the US and Britain was aimed at “the international airport in Hodaida”, a port of strategic importance, the network said.

According to the same source, which did not provide information on casualties, the bombing came a few hours after strikes on the island of Kamaran, just north of Hodaida, in the southern Red Sea.

Neither Washington nor London have made any comment at this stage.

The port in Hodaida is of strategic importance. Yemen remains mired in roughly a decade of war, and about 80% of its population is in need of humanitarian aid. According to the UN, 70% of all imported goods and 80% of humanitarian aid reach the country through this very port.

Yemen’s Ansar Allah (“Supporters of God”) movement, better known by the family name of its leaders, the Houthis, has been launching drone and missile attacks against commercial and warships in the Red Sea and Gulf waterways since November. of Aden, in a sign of “solidarity” with the Palestinians in the besieged and devastated Gaza Strip, where a war between Israel and Hamas has been going on since October 7. In their dozens of attacks, the Houthis have sunk at least two merchant ships, captured a third and killed at least three sailors, according to what is known.

In response to these attacks, the US — Israel’s main international ally — formed an international force in December to protect navigation in this maritime area.

And, since January, US forces, in several cases alongside British and international coalition support, have unleashed a series of strikes on Yemeni soil aimed at reducing the operational capabilities of the Iran-backed rebels.

The European Union has also deployed a naval force, under Operation Shields, to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea.

Last Saturday, July 20, the Houthis accused Israel of launching airstrikes on the port of Hodeidah. According to the latest figures from the rebel movement, the shelling left at least 9 dead and nearly 90 wounded.

Israel’s armed forces confirmed they launched the raid in retaliation for a Houthi drone strike that killed one person in Tel Aviv.