For the second consecutive day, US and UK fighter jets launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen’s western Hodeidah. On Tuesday, four strikes hit the Al-Luhayyah area, though no specific details were provided on the locations, casualties, or damage. The attacks followed airstrikes on Monday targeting Hodeidah’s Al-Saleef district.
US Central Command has regularly reported targeting Houthi missile and drone launchers, storage facilities, and explosive-laden drone boats used in attacks on international shipping lanes. On October 4, US forces carried out 15 airstrikes against Houthi targets in multiple Yemeni locations, including Sanaa, Dhamar, Hodeidah, and Al-Bayda, resulting in explosions and thick smoke at military bases.
The Houthis have launched hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones, and drone boats since November, targeting ships in the Red Sea and nearby shipping lanes, with the stated aim of pressuring Israel to halt its military operations in Gaza. In response to drone and missile attacks on Israeli cities, Israel launched two waves of airstrikes in July and September, hitting power plants, fuel storage facilities, and ports in Hodeidah.
Amid these ongoing conflicts, two international human rights organizations have condemned the Houthis for abducting Yemenis who celebrated the 1962 revolution. Since September 21, dozens of people have been detained across multiple regions, including Sanaa, Taiz, and Al-Bayda, for marking the anniversary. Human Rights Watch and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights called for the immediate release of the abductees and criticized the Houthis for stifling dissent.
The Yemeni government also made diplomatic moves, with Rashad Al-Alimi, chairman of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, urging the US to lift sanctions against Yemeni businessman Hamed Abdullah Hussein Al-Ahmer, who was recently sanctioned for supporting Hamas.
In a separate incident, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for a bomb attack on Col. Ahmed Mohsen Al-Suleimani in Yemen’s southern Shabwa province. The roadside explosion killed the military officer as he drove through Al-Musenah on Monday night.