Fresh US-led airstrikes hit Houthi targets in Yemen's port city

Sanaa, April 2 (IANS) A warplane of the US-British coalition launched airstrikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen's port city of Hodeidah on the Red Sea, the media reported.

The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV said on Monday that the strikes hit the al-Taif area in the southern Durayhimi district, without providing more details.

The coalition has been striking Houthi targets since January 12, saying it aimed to degrade Houthi military capabilities and deter the group from launching missile attacks against shipping vessels transiting the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Houthis, however, responded by launching more attacks against ships, vowing further escalation.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since late 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthis seized control of several northern provinces and forced the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces out of the capital Sanaa.

After the 2018 UN-sponsored Stockholm agreement, supported by the US and Britain, the Houthis consolidated their control over the strategic port city of Hodeidah, thwarting attempts by the internationally-recognised Yemeni government forces to retake the city.