US CENTCOM claims hitting over 60 targets in Yemen, 100 bombs dropped

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Jan 2024 08:37

The strikes against Yemen have been conducted under the direction of the US Central Command.

A still from a video released by Al-Masirah TV shows the moment of the bombardment in Sanaa, Yemen. (Al-Masirah TV)

US Air Forces Central stated in a press release that airstrikes in Yemen targeted over 60 sites associated with the Ansar Allah movement across 16 locations.

"At the direction of US Central Command, US Air Forces Central, CENTCOM’s Joint and Combined Air Component Command, executed deliberate strikes on over 60 targets at 16 Iranian-backed Houthi militant locations, including command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems," the release said late Thursday night.

The U.S. and British Air Force conducted an airstrike on Yemen in response to its interference with ships en route to Israel via the Red Sea. pic.twitter.com/KD6kaIjfsJ
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) January 12, 2024

The strikes involved the utilization of over 100 precision-guided munitions of diverse types, as mentioned in the release.

The US Central Command had released a statement after U.S. military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands — conducted "multilateral coalition strikes" on Yemen's Ansar Allah, Fox News reported.

"We hold the Houthi militants and their destabilizing Iranian sponsors responsible for the illegal, indiscriminate, and reckless attacks on international shipping that have impacted 55 nations so far, including endangering the lives of hundreds of mariners, including the United States," said General Michael Erik Kurilla, USCENTCOM Commander.

"Their illegal and dangerous actions will not be tolerated, and they will be held accountable," Kurilla added.

Overnight airstrikes were conducted by the US and the United Kingdom against Ansar Allah positions in four Yemeni governorates, encompassing the capital Sanaa, and the cities of Hodeidah, Saada, and Taiz, according to officials from provincial governments as reported by Sputnik.

The officials from the US and UK acknowledged the airstrikes, clarifying that they targeted Ansar Allah military facilities and positions in Yemen as a response to attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming that civilian population centers were not the intended targets.

Concurrently, the Yemeni SABA news agency in Sanaa also reported that the American-Israeli-British aggression launched multiple airstrikes on the capital Sanaa, and the provinces of Hodeidah, Saada, and Dhamar.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that the US-British aggression targeted the vicinity of Hodeidah Airport and areas in Zabid District in the same coastal governorate on the Red Sea in Western Yemen.

Our correspondent added that the raids targeted Kahlan camp, east of the city of Saada, in northern Yemen.

Earlier, the Pentagon announced that the US aggression has targeted 12 sites in Yemen and was conducted by warplanes, cruise missiles, and submarines.

Politico cited an official from the US Department of Defense as saying that the US and the UK, with support from Australia, the Netherlands, Bahrain, and Canada, carried out strikes against targets in Yemen.

The New York Times on the other hand reported that the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, and Bahrain provided logistical, intelligence, and other forms of support to the aggression.

The big picture

Following the start of the Israeli aggression on Gaza, Sanaa announced it would enforce a ban on Israeli and "Israel"-bound ships from crossing the Red and Arabian seas in support of the people of the Strip, currently facing an Israeli genocide with direct Washington support and complicity.

The United States, the UK, and France issued last week a "final warning" to Sanaa to stop its operations. But the latter refused to give in to foreign pressure regarding its support to Gaza and announced the attacks would continue until the Israeli genocide stops. The statement was made after the newly established US-led sea coalition, operating under Operation Prosperity Guardian, was fractured before carrying out a single joint operation.

As part of its campaign against Sanaa, the US attacked earlier this month Yemeni Naval Forces in the Red Sea, resulting in the martyrdom of 10 servicemembers.

Responding to threats of ending its operations in support of Gaza, Sanaa's top officials, including Ansar Allah leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi, the defense minister, and the chief of armed forces, all confirmed that any attack on Yemen will be met with a direct, decisive, and large response.

Sanaa warned that the United States and any other party that gets involved in an aggression on the country would "regret their action," reaffirming that Yemen will not allow "anyone to prevent it" from "carrying out its humanitarian, ethical and religious duty toward Gaza" and will continue with its ban decision "no matter the challenges."