US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital kill 12, wound over 30 Photo

A series of US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, killed at least 12 civilians and wounded more than 30 others on Sunday, according to local officials.

The attacks targeted the Furwah neighbourhood and a public market in the Sha'ub District, both densely populated areas within the Capital Secretariat, Caliber.Az reports, citing Yemeni media.

The strikes mark a significant escalation in a US-led campaign that Washington says is aimed at deterring missile and drone attacks on international shipping routes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Over 200 people have reportedly been killed in US air operations across Yemen since March.

Local authorities in Sana’a condemned the latest strikes, calling them a “brutal massacre” and alleging they constitute war crimes under international law. A statement issued by the Capital Secretariat described the air raids as part of a broader strategy aimed at breaking public support for Gaza, accusing the US of backing Israeli military operations in the enclave.

The US Department of Defense has not publicly confirmed details of the latest operation, but officials have previously stated that military actions in Yemen are designed to neutralise threats posed by Houthi-aligned forces, who have vowed to continue attacks on vessels linked to Israel. Yemen’s armed forces have imposed what they describe as a “strategic blockade” on maritime traffic in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.

Yemen’s de facto authorities say their Red Sea operations are intended to pressure the international community to act against the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, which has seen widespread civilian casualties, mass displacement, and an ongoing blockade.

By Aghakazim Guliyev