2 killed, 10 injured in US airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi-held capital: Report

Sanaa, April 27 US airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi-held capital Sanaa overnight killed two people and wounded 10 others, Houthi-controlled health authorities said on Sunday.

The strikes targeted multiple locations across Sanaa, the authorities said, adding that two women and three children were among the injured, Xinhua news agency reported.

All the wounded were taken to local hospitals for treatment.

Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported that US forces carried out additional strikes in several northern provinces and said three US strikes also hit the Galaxy Leader, a cargo vessel seized by the Houthis in November 2023 during attacks on Red Sea shipping linked to Israel.

No casualties were reported from the strikes outside Sanaa or on the vessel.

Separately, the Houthis on Sunday claimed responsibility for launching a missile at Israel's Nevatim Air Base in the Negev region, marking their second such attack in less than 48 hours.

The Israeli military said it intercepted the missile after warning sirens were triggered in the Arava region and near the Dead Sea. No casualties were reported, according to Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service.

In a statement carried by al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group used a "hypersonic ballistic missile" to target the base, pledging continued military operations in support of Palestinians amid the war in Gaza.

"Our military operations in support of the Palestinian people will continue until the aggression on Gaza ends and the blockade is lifted," Sarea said.

The strikes come after US airstrikes hit the Ras Isa fuel port in Yemen last week, killing at least 74 people and wounding 171 others.

The strikes follow the resumption of negotiations in Rome between the US and Iran over Tehran's rapidly advancing nuclear program, which Washington has linked to its attacks in Yemen.

The US is targeting the Houthis because of the group's attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel.

The Houthis are the last militant group in Iran's self-described "Axis of Resistance" that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.

Tensions between the Houthis and US forces have escalated sharply since March 15, when Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, a campaign criticised by many regional governments as a threat to wider stability.

--IANS

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