In this image dated Feb 24, 2024 and released by the US Central Command, a US fighter plane lauches from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower in the Red Sea during operations against Houthi targets. (PHOTO / AFP)

SANAA/ADEN, Yemen - Warplanes of the US-led coalition struck the Yemeni capital Sanaa late Saturday, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported.

"The American-British aggression aircraft again launched a series of raids on the capital," the TV reported.

Meanwhile, local witnesses told Xinhua that at least four missiles hit the Al-Siyanah Military Camp, north of Sanaa's downtown, causing big explosions and fire. Ambulances rushed to the scene.

US media, citing anonymous US officials, reported that the United States and Britain hit more than a dozen Houthi targets in response to a recent surge in rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden

Residents also said the warplanes struck a military camp in the southern part of the capital and another camp on a mountain east of Sanaa.

US media, citing anonymous US officials, reported that the United States and Britain hit more than a dozen Houthi targets in response to a recent surge in rebel attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. One of the attacks last week set fire to Rubymar, a British cargo vessel, and forced the crew to abandon the ship.

The officials said American and British fighter jets hit about 18 sites in this fourth joint strike against the Houthis since Jan 12.

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The Houthis have launched at least six attacks on US and British cargo ships in the Red Sea this week.

In this photo provided by Britain's Ministry of Defense, a Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft takes off to join others in conducting further strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Feb 24, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Meanwhile, the Houthi group said on Sunday it attacked a US oil tanker and US navy ships in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea on Saturday with missiles and drones, while the US military responded with airstrikes.

The attacks were in support of the Palestinians and a response to the US-British "aggression" against Yemen, said Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea.

He said the rebels targeted the US oil tanker Torm Thor in the Gulf of Aden and several US warships in the Red Sea with "appropriate naval missiles" and "unmanned aerial vehicles".

The US Central Command said on social media X, formerly Twitter, that it intercepted a Houthi missile firing at the Torm Thor on Saturday.

ALSOREAD: Houthi TV: US conducted new airstrikes on Yemen's Hodeidah

The Houthis have stepped up their attacks on international shipping since mid-November last year to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza who have been facing intense Israeli attacks.

The US-British forces have responded with dozens of airstrikes on Houthi targets, including mobile missile launchers and underwater drones, but have failed to deter the group from launching more attacks.

In this satellite image provided by Planet Labs, the Belize-flagged bulk carrier Rubymar is seen in the southern Red Sea near the Bay el-Mandeb Strait leaking oil after an attack by Yemen's Houthi group on Feb 20, 2024. (PHOTO / AP)

Environmental disaster

On Saturday, the Yemeni government called on the international community to help address a looming environmental crisis sparked by a Houthi assault on a cargo ship carrying hazardous chemicals in the Red Sea.

In a statement, the government directed the formation of an emergency committee to deal with a potential spillage of thousands of tons of fertilizer and oil from the British-owned, Belize-flagged bulk carrier "Rubymar", which was attacked by the Houthis as it transited the strategic shipping route in the Red Sea on Feb 18.

The Yemeni government called on the international community to help quickly handle a crisis sparked by a Houthi assault on a cargo ship carrying hazardous chemicals in the Red Sea to prevent the dangerous materials from leaking and causing a potential ecological catastrophe

The Yemeni government ordered the committee to develop an emergency plan to address the threatening situation.

It also called on the international community to help handle the crisis quickly to prevent the dangerous materials from leaking and causing a potential ecological catastrophe in the Red Sea.

The US Central Command corroborated the incident, saying on social media platform X that a 29-km oil slick started emerging from the damaged ship. It warned that the chemicals on board "could spill into the Red Sea and worsen this environmental disaster".

READ MORE: UN envoy: Red Sea tension slows down Yemen's peace process

Operated by a Lebanese company, the Rubymar departed from the United Arab Emirates bound for Bulgaria with its crew escaping unharmed after last week's Houthi assault in the Red Sea.

Local experts now fear a spill or leak from the damaged carrier's cargo could have devastating consequences for the fragile regional ecosystem.

As the stricken ship remains at anchor while slowly taking on water, Yemen's government is scrambling to mobilize an emergency response and avert a potential environmental disaster in the Red Sea, according to the experts.