Thousands March in Sanaa Supporting Gaza Amid Strikes

Thousands of Houthi supporters march in solidarity with Gaza in the Houthi-run capital Sanaa after overnight strikes by the United States and Britain that the rebels said killed 16 people.

The Houthi rebels, who control much of Yemen, have carried out scores of drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November, citing solidarity with Palestinians over the Israel-Hamas war.

The toll announced by the Huthis, would be one of the deadliest strikes since the US and Britain started their campaign in January against disruption of the vital trade route.

The Houthis, who control much of Yemen, have carried out scores of drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November, citing solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip over the Israel-Hamas war.

The US Central Command, CENTCOM, said 13 Houthi sites were targeted in the latest strikes.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said 16 people were killed and more than 40 were wounded in Hodeida alone, including an unspecified number of civilians.

In response, the rebels launched a missile attack on US aircraft carrier the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, Saree said, an operation that Washington has yet to confirm.

The Huthis "will not hesitate to respond directly and immediately to every new aggression on Yemen territories", Saree said.

Since January, the United States and Britain have launched repeated strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the rebels' harassment of shipping.

The US-UK reprisals have not stamped out the campaign by the rebels, who have vowed to target US and British vessels as well as all ships heading to Israeli ports.

The Houthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of global trade.