U.S. and British Strikes in Yemen Result in Casualties

U.S. and British military forces launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen's Hodeidah province, resulting in the deaths of 14 people and injuries to over 30. The operation aimed to deter the Houthis from disrupting shipping in the Red Sea, with utmost care taken to minimize civilian casualties.

(Updates death toll, changes dateline to Dubai) DUBAI, May 31 (Reuters) -

The Houthi's Al-Masirah television said on Friday 14 people have been killed and over 30 wounded in U.S. and British strikes on Yemen's Hodeidah province. The outlet reported that the strikes targeted a radio building in Hodeidah's Al-Hawk district and port of Salif.

The U.S. and British militaries said they launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday as part of efforts to deter the militant group from further disrupting shipping in the Red Sea. The U.S. Central Command said in a statement that U.S. and British forces had hit 13 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

The British defence ministry said the joint operation targeted three locations in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, which it said housed drones and surface-to-air weapons. "As ever, the utmost care was taken in planning the strikes to minimise any risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure," the British defence ministry said in a statement.

"Conducting the strikes in the hours of darkness should also have mitigated yet further any such risks." The Houthis, who control Yemen's capital and most populous areas, have attacked international shipping in the Red Sea since November in solidarity with the Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas militants, drawing U.S. and British retaliatory strikes since February.