SANAA, Oct. 10 (Xinhua) -- Saudi-led coalition forces launched a new wave of air and missile strikes across Houthi-held areas of Yemen on Saturday, targeting Sanaa International Airport, the strategic Bab al-Mandab Strait and several northern provinces, Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported.
Al-Masirah TV said four airstrikes hit Sanaa International Airport in the Houthi-held capital, with no immediate information on casualties or damage.
Four other airstrikes hit the Bab al-Mandab area in southwestern Yemen, according to al-Masirah. The strait, connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden, is one of the world's most important maritime routes and has become a key focus of the escalating fighting between the Houthis and government forces.
In the northwestern province of Saada, which borders Saudi Arabia and is a major Houthi stronghold, Saudi missile fire struck villages in the border district of Razih, al-Masirah reported, without providing information on casualties.
It also reported that four missiles hit Harf Sufyan district in the northern province of Amran, while three airstrikes targeted a telecommunications network in the town of Al-Mahabishah in the northwestern province of Hajjah.
The latest strikes came amid a sharp escalation in Yemen's conflict, with Saudi air operations against Houthi-held areas intensifying alongside renewed fighting between the Houthis and government forces, supported by the Saudi-led Arab coalition, particularly around Bab al-Mandab.
The escalation has also increasingly spilled across Yemen's borders, with the Houthis stepping up missile and drone attacks against airports and other targets in Saudi Arabia.
Yemen has been mired in conflict since late 2014, when the Houthi group seized the capital Sanaa and much of northern Yemen. A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognized Yemeni government, which is now based in the southern port city of Aden. ■
