US strikes on Yemen leave 33 dead, 80 wounded

Recent US strikes on Yemen killed at least 33 people and injured 80 others, the Houthi-controlled Al Masirah television channel noted, Report informs via TASS.

According to the update, the attack targeted the port of Ras Isa on the Red Sea, home to an oil terminal, overnight into Friday. The strikes set off a massive fire after at least 14 US sorties. The attack continued even after medical and civil defense teams arrived at the scene of the bombing.

"The criminal US aggression was directed against the port of Ras Isa, which is a site of exclusively civilian infrastructure," said Abdallah Oteify, governor of the Hodeida region that includes the port, Al Masirah noted.

He said US actions will not force the Yemeni people to stop supporting the Palestinians in Gaza.

Following the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis, also known as the Ansar Allah group, said they would strike Israeli territory and prevent ships affiliated with that country from passing through the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The attacks ended after a Gaza ceasefire went into effect in mid-January, but after the truce collapsed in early March, rebels said they were resuming strikes.

On March 15, Trump announced the US was starting a military operation against the Houthis, who control about a third of Yemen's territory. According to US Central Command, the operation aims to protect US interests and freedom of navigation. The Houthis responded with a spate of missile and drone attacks on the US aircraft carrier Harry Truman in the Red Sea. It was not reported whether the attacks damaged the warship.