Click to see full-size image. (The Saba News Agency)
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced on February 10 that 17 of their fighters were killed in recent “American-British” strikes on Yemen.
The Saba news agency, which is run by the Houthis, said: “Today, in a dignified funeral procession, the bodies of several martyrs of the nation, armed forces, and security forces who were martyred in the American-British aggression airstrikes, were mourned.”
“These crimes will not discourage the Yemeni people from continuing their support and backing of their brothers in the Gaza Strip,” Saba noted in its coverage of the funerals.
This is the second time that the Houthis have acknowledged casualties since the United States and the United Kingdom began launching strikes against Yemen last month. The first time was on the first day of the strikes, January 12. Back then, the group announced that five of its fighters were killed and six others wounded.
The Houthis have launched waves of drones and missiles at Israel-affiliated ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 19 in what they say is a response to the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, prompting Britain and the United States to start retaliatory strikes in January.
The group’s campaign has disrupted shipping to Israel, causing some companies to suspend transits through the Red Sea and instead take the much longer, costlier journey around Africa.
In recent days, the U.S. stepped up strikes on Yemen. However, the group remains undeterred and its capabilities have not been degraded.
