SANAA, Yemen

The Yemeni Houthi group on Friday held over 150 rallies in most of the provinces under its control across Yemen in support of Gaza and to mark Al-Quds Day. 

Al-Quds Day, an annual event to reaffirm solidarity with the Palestinian people, is held every year on the last Friday of the month of Ramadan.

The biggest pro-Palestine rally took place in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which is under the group's control, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV.

Thousands of Yemenis gathered in Al-Sabeen Square in Sanaa at the urging of the Houthi group, during which the participants waved Yemeni and Palestinian flags as well as banners condemning Israel’s war on Gaza.

The channel also reported further rallies in cities and districts of 15 provinces across Yemen including Saada and Al-Mahwit in northern Yemen, Hajjah and Al-Hudaydah in western Yemen, and in Al-Bayda.

During the rallies, the demonstrators chanted in support of the Palestinian resistance as well as Houthi military operations in the Red Sea targeting Israeli-linked ships.

The Houthis have been targeting cargo ships in the Red Sea owned or operated by Israeli companies or transporting goods to and from Israel in solidarity with the Gaza Strip, where more than 33,000 people have been killed in a deadly Israeli offensive since last October following a Hamas attack.

With the US and UK launching retaliatory airstrikes against Houthi sites inside Yemen, the Houthis declared that they consider all American and British ships military targets.

A coalition led by the US has conducted intermittent airstrikes since Jan. 12 that have targeted Houthi sites in parts of Yemen in response to the attacks in the Red Sea.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar