SANAA, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group vowed on Saturday to retaliate after Saudi-led coalition warplanes launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled targets in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah.
In a statement issued after the strikes, the group said the next phase would follow an "escalation for escalation" approach, accusing Saudi Arabia of resorting to military action instead of responding to what it described as a legitimate demand to lift the blockade on areas under its control.
The group warned that Saudi Arabia had made "a grave blunder" that would "cost it dearly," but did not elaborate on the nature of its planned response.
The statement came after Saudi-led coalition airstrikes targeted Houthi-controlled sites in Hodeidah late Friday, with local residents reporting multiple explosions across the Red Sea city.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported that the strikes hit several locations, including telecommunications facilities and Kamaran Island, where a woman was reportedly injured.
The Saudi-led coalition said the strikes were carried out in response to what it described as recent Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. It said the operation targeted military sites linked to the group's maritime capabilities while avoiding civilian infrastructure.
The coalition said the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Salif remained open to commercial shipping and denied targeting port facilities.
The reported airstrikes came hours after Saudi media, citing a transport authority source, said the Saudi oil tanker NCC MASA had sustained minor hull damage in an attack in the Red Sea but continued its voyage.
The Houthi group on Monday announced a maritime ban on Saudi shipping. The group said Thursday it had targeted two Saudi oil tankers for violating the ban in the Red Sea. The Saudi Press Agency later confirmed that a Saudi company-owned tanker had been hit and caught fire.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government. ■
