Sanaa, Feb 3 (IANS): The US-British maritime coalition in the Red Sea launched seven airstrikes against Houthi sites in the northwestern Yemeni province of Hajjah on Friday, a Houthi-run media outlet reported.

The strikes hit the al-Jarrah area in the northern district of Abs town, which is under the Houthi forces' control, al-Masirah TV said without elaborating further.

The coalition has made no confirmation yet but usually said it targeted drone and missile launchers in Houthi-controlled areas that threatened the shipping lanes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Thursday, the US Central Command said the coalition intercepted two bomb-laden drones and an anti-ship ballistic missile fired from the Houthi area toward the merchant vessels and the coalition warships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Tensions have been rising in the International waters of the Red Sea as the Houthi forces vow to launch more attacks targeting Israeli-linked commercial vessels and US-British coalition warships to retaliate against the coalition's support for the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip and its airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen.