Yemenis celebrate Iran's 'victory' against Israel

Tens of thousands of people in Yemen took to the streets of the country's capital, Sanaa, on Friday to celebrate what they called a victory of Iran after 12-day Israel-Iran war and to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

They were seen carrying rifles, Palestinian and Yemeni flags as well as chanting anti-American and anti-Israel slogans.

The Houthis have launched repeated missile attacks targeting Israel as well as international shipping in the Red Sea, portraying it as a response to Israel’s offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Most of the targeted ships had no relation to Israel or the conflict.

The United States halted a punishing bombing campaign against the Houthis earlier this month, saying the rebels had pledged to stop attacking ships.

That agreement did not include attacks on Israel.

The war has killed over 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were civilians or combatants. It says more than half of the dead were women and children.

During their Oct. 7, 2023, attack, Hamas-led militants killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Most have been freed in ceasefire deals, but 50 remain captive, less than half of them believed to still be alive.