US warplanes pound Yemen's Hodeidah in escalating campaign against Houthis
Shafaq News/ US warplanes launched a fresh wave of airstrikes on Yemen's cities of Sanaa and Hodeidah late Saturday, targeting key infrastructure amid an intensifying campaign against the Houthis.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that a wave of strikes targeted the capital Sanaa, as well as Hodeidah's airport and seaport. Residents said powerful explosions were heard across the Red Sea city as multiple locations came under fire.
عدوان أمريكي على العاصمة صنعاء بسلسلة غارات pic.twitter.com/VkRBcwPC7m
— قناة المسيرة (@TvAlmasirah) April 19, 2025
The operation is part of a broader US military campaign launched on March 15 under President Donald Trump's directive for a 'major offensive' against the Houthis, with Washington vowing the group would face 'total eradication' if it continued to threaten Red Sea maritime traffic.
Since the launch of the campaign on March 15, US forces have carried out hundreds of strikes across Houthi-controlled territories. Washington says the strikes are intended to safeguard international shipping lanes and curb drone and missile attacks launched by the group.
⭕️عاجل⭕️13 غارة للعدوان الأمريكي على ميناء ومطار #الحديدة pic.twitter.com/TOzLtFAjVW
— قناة المسيرة (@TvAlmasirah) April 19, 2025
Earlier this week, a US strike on the Ras Isa fuel terminal, also along the Red Sea coast, resulted in one of the deadliest single attacks so far, killing at least 74 people, according to Houthi officials. The raids came just hours after the Houthis claimed responsibility for downing two American MQ-9 Reaper drones over Sanaa airspace.
Saturday's airstrikes came just hours after the Houthis claimed responsibility for downing two American MQ-9 Reaper drones over Sanaa airspace.
The Houthis—officially known as Ansarallah—maintain that their attacks are part of what they describe as a 'solidarity campaign' with Palestinians amid the war in Gaza. They have repeatedly stated that their operations against Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea will continue until the conflict in Gaza comes to an end.
The US has not yet commented on the latest strikes in Sanaa and Hodeidah.
Washington has designated the Houthi group as a terrorist organization and accuses it of undermining regional stability and endangering global maritime commerce. The group continues to control significant portions of northern and western Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, and much of the country's Red Sea coastline.
The intensifying cycle of drone warfare and retaliatory airstrikes has raised concerns among humanitarian groups and international observers, as Yemen's fragile security environment continues to deteriorate under the weight of multiple overlapping conflicts.
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