The United States and the United Kingdom initiated two strikes against the Hodeidah International Airport in Western Yemen, the Al-Masirah TV channel announced today.

The strikes against Hodeidah followed the attack on the US cargo ship by the Yemeni Armed Forces earlier today, according to the broadcaster. 

Gulf of Aden attack on US Bulk Carrier

The Yemeni Armed Forces attacked US bulk carrier True Confidence in the Gulf of Aden, spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree said today.

The announcement saw the Yemeni armed forces claim responsibility for the attack that had been shrouded in mystery for hours, clarifying that the "incident", as it had been called, was its forces launching drones and missiles at the ship.

"The Yemeni naval missiles struck the US ship in the Gulf of Aden, which caused a fire to break out," Saree said.

"The operation was carried out after the crew of the American ship rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces," he stressed.

A "maritime incident" in the Red Sea left three crew members missing and caused severe burns in four others after a Barbados-flagged bulk carrier sustained damage in a cloudy operation off the coast of Yemen.

Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi: Yemen does not intentionally target civilians

Member of the Supreme Political Council in Yemen, Muhammad Ali Al-Houthi, said Yemen does not intentionally target civilians, adding that what the Yemeni armed forces are doing is a response to the unresponsible American strikes and the militarization of the sea to protect Israeli ships.

Al-Houthi said that if the American claim is correct about the accidental death of two people on the ship MV True Confidence, which rejected the warning, "We believe that Washington must provide compensation to these victims for an intentional act."

"We are ready to provide compensation for an unintentional act in a similar manner to the compensation that will be estimated for civilians in Gaza by America and Israel, because what the Yemeni armed forces are doing is a response to the reckless American strikes and Washington’s militarization of the sea to protect Israeli ships," Al-Houthi concluded.