Yemen’s Houthis confirm 17 fighters killed in US-led strikes

“The bodies of a number of martyrs of the nation and the armed and security forces who were martyred as a result of the bombing of the American-British aggression were carried through Sanaa today in a solemn funeral procession,” a Houthi official media said on Saturday, listing their names.

Washington and London have been hitting Houthi targets in Yemen since mid-January, in an attempt to get them to cease their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis, who control much of war-torn Yemen including the port of Hodeidah, have been targeting what they say are vessels linked to Israel in response to the war on Gaza.

Yemenis have declared their open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7 after the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements carried out a surprise retaliatory attack, dubbed Operation Al-Aqsa Storm, against the occupying entity.

Yemeni Armed Forces have stressed that they won’t stop their attacks until unrelenting Israeli ground and aerial offensives in Gaza, which have killed at least 28,000 people and wounded another 67,500 individuals, come to an end.

Large numbers of supporters gathered at Sanaa’s Al-Shaab mosque, formerly Al-Saleh mosque, on Saturday for the funerals of the Houthis killed in the attacks.

On Wednesday the Houthis’ news agency reported that the US and UK had hit targets in Hodeidah province.

On Tuesday, the Houthis announced they had targeted US and British ships in two attacks in the Red Sea, causing minor damage but no casualties.

The Red Sea attacks have raised insurance premiums for shipping companies, forcing many to avoid the vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global maritime trade.

On Friday, Steve Fagin, the US ambassador to Yemen, said on X via the US Embassy’s account, that the US will classify the Houthis as a terrorist group at the end of next week, unless the group ceases its attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The US announced this move in January, giving the Houthis 30 days to cease the attacks before it went into effect.

“In response to these continuing threats and attacks, the United States announced the designation of Ansarallah, also known as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist,” White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in a statement at the time.