Photo: image – mmy.ye
On 30 March, the US Air Force carried out seven air strikes in northern Yemen, in particular in the province of Sa’ada, one of the key strongholds of the Ansarullah (Houthi) rebel movement. This was reported by the Houthi-controlled Al-Masira TV channel on its Telegram channel.
Strikes on Saadi
According to the report, three strikes were carried out in the eastern districts of the city of Sa’ada, the administrative centre of the province. Another four strikes targeted the al-Salim district in the same province.
The Houthis’ statement did not specify whether there were casualties or widespread destruction, and no official comment from the US was available at the time of publication.
Previous attacks on infrastructure
The day before, the Houthi-controlled Ministry of Communications released another report on five US airstrikes on the city of Umran and several communications facilities in the city of Saada. These attacks completely destroyed telecommunications towers and transmitting stations, resulting in the disconnection of mobile communications and the Internet in a number of regions.
Geopolitical context: a response to the ultimatum
The US air strikes in Yemen come amid growing tensions between the Houthis and Washington.
On 7 March, the Houthis issued an ultimatum to Israel – four days to unblock the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. In case of non-compliance, they threatened to resume attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
On 15 March, US President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he had ordered the launch of a “large-scale offensive” against the Houthis in Yemen. In response, Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi threatened to strike US aircraft and warships and block US shipping.
