SANAA, Yemen/ISTANBUL
The Yemeni Houthi group vowed Saturday to respond to a US-UK attack that targeted a residential area in Sanaa, resulting in casualties.
The Houthi Political Bureau described the strikes as a "treacherous and sinful act of aggression and a full-fledged war crime."
"Targeting civilians is further proof of American terrorism against nations and peoples that oppose it," it said in a statement. "US-UK aggression was carried out in response to Yemen’s support for the Palestinian people, but it will not deter Yemen from continuing its backing for Palestine and fulfilling its duty to support Gaza."
The Houthis warned that the “aggression will not go unanswered, and our armed forces are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation."
At least nine people were killed and nine others injured in the airstrikes that targeted the Yemeni capital of Sanaa, the Houthis said Saturday, as US President Donald Trump announced major air raids against the group.
Trump said he ordered the military to launch "powerful" and "decisive" action against the Houthis.
“Your time is up, and your attacks must stop, starting today. If they don’t, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Witnesses told Anadolu that airstrikes also hit the Geraf neighborhood in northern Sanaa, resulting in powerful explosions.
Houthis had attacked Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones since late 2023, disrupting global trade, in what is said was solidarity with the Gaza Strip.
The group halted the attacks when a Gaza ceasefire deal was declared in January. But it threatened to resume the attacks when Israel blocked all aid to the Palestine enclave after the end of the first phase of the three-phase deal on March 2.