US-British forces strike Houthi targets in Yemen, killing 11, Yemen govt says

ADEN, Yemen – Air strikes attributed to a coalition of United States and British forces hit port cities and small towns in western Yemen on March 11, killing at least 11 people and injuring 14 others while defending commercial shipping, a spokesperson for Yemen’s internationally recognised government told Reuters.

At least 17 air strikes were reported in the country, including in the principal port city of Hodeidah and at Ras Issa Port, according to Al-Masirah, the main Houthi-run television news outlet.

The strikes came just days after the first civilian fatalities and vessel loss since the Iran-aligned Houthis began attacking commercial shipping in November, in solidarity with the Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.

The strikes also coincided with the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, a period of fasting for Muslims.

The Houthis killed three crew members of the

Barbados-flagged, Greek-operated True Confidence on March 6 in an attack off the port of Aden.

That came days after

the sinking of the cargo ship Ruby mar,

which went down about two weeks after being hit by a Houthi missile on Feb 18.

Many ships are now making the longer, more expensive trip around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to avoid the dangerous route through the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and the Suez Canal – sharply raising shipping costs. REUTERS