Cairo, May 31 (IANS/DPA): At least 16 civilians were killed in airstrikes launched by the US and UK in Yemen's coastal province of Hodaidah, a television station run by the Houthi militia reported on Friday.

At least 34 others were injured in the overnight strikes, al-Masirah TV said, citing a local official in the militia-controlled province.

The broadcaster said the strikes had targeted the provincial radio building and al-Salif port in Hodaidah.

The US army said its forces destroyed eight uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen and over the Red Sea on Thursday.

The Central Command added in an X post that the US and UK forces had also struck 13 Houthi targets, saying the UAVs and sites "presented a threat" to US and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region.

The Houthis, who have controlled parts of Yemen since 2014, have been targeting ships bound for Israeli ports or those owned by Israeli companies in the Red and Arabian seas and Indian Ocean for months in what they say is retaliation for Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip.

The militia also attacked US and UK ships off Yemen after the two countries began launching strikes on areas under the group's control.

The US, UK, and other Western countries have launched operations to protect ships in the region.

The European Union has also deployed a military operation to secure merchant shipping in the Red Sea, one of the most important shipping routes for world trade, as it connects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean via the Suez Canal in Egypt.

Major shipping companies have been avoiding the route and sailing the much longer journey around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead.