Houthis report new US strikes after major rallies in Yemen

Houthi media said fresh US strikes hit Yemen yesterday, after huge crowds gathered in the conflict-torn country to protest earlier bombings targeting the group. Tens of thousands of demonstrators, many waving assault rifles, daggers or Qur’ans, chanted "Death to America, death to Israel!” in the capital Sanaa. There were also large crowds in Saada, birthplace of the Houthi movement, and demonstrations in Dhamar, Hodeida and Amran, footage from the Al-Masirah TV station showed. "Yemen will never back down — we defy the Americans, we defy the Zionists,” said a man shouting slogans to the Sanaa crowd, who chanted back: "We are the men of the Prophet (PBUH).” The protests came after the first US strikes on Yemen under President Donald Trump, aimed at ending the Houthis’ Red Sea harassment campaign.The strikes killed 53 people and wounded 98 on Saturday.The Al-Masirah channel and Saba press agency yesterday evening reported new US strikes in the Hodeida and Al-Salif regions.The Houthis launched scores of attacks on ships in the vital route during the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.Earlier yesterday they said they had attacked the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier group twice within 24 hours. There was no comment from the United States. Washington has vowed to keep hitting Yemen until the rebels stop attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with Trump warning he would use "overwhelming lethal force”.