The Yemeni capital, Sana'a, has witnessed a major military escalation following US airstrikes that killed and injured dozens, amid warnings of a further escalation that could include a ground military operation.

Media outlets affiliated with the Ansar Allah group (Houthis) announced on Monday morning that the death toll from the US raid that targeted the popular market in the Farwa neighborhood in central Sana'a had risen to 12 dead and 30 wounded.

It reported that three people were killed and 12 others injured on Sunday evening as a result of the bombing, before later announcing the new death toll.

In a simultaneous escalation on the ground, the same sources reported that four US airstrikes targeted the southern city of Saada in the north of the country late Sunday evening, without providing details of any casualties.

It also reported that US fighter jets carried out more than 10 airstrikes on sites in the capital, Sana'a, and the governorates of Ma'rib and Al Hudaydah.

The raids also included the Attan area south of Sana'a, the cleaning project in the Asr area, in addition to the Al-Jawba district in Marib and Kamaran Island in Al Hudaydah Governorate in western Yemen.

These raids are part of an escalating military campaign launched by the United States in mid-March, following the Houthis' resumption of attacks on ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, in response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip.

Warning of a ground operation

In a related context, the Houthi group warned of the United States' preparations to launch a ground military operation in Yemen, considering such a move "threatens to completely detonate the situation."

This warning was made by the Houthi government's Foreign Minister, Jamal Amer, during his meeting in Sana'a with Mari Yamashita, Acting Head of the United Nations Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement.

Amer stressed that targeting the Ras Issa oil port in Al Hudaydah Governorate and bombing the paramedics constitutes a "full-fledged war crime that requires investigation."

He added that the US raids follow a "scorched earth policy," indicating a premeditated intention to launch a large-scale ground operation that could drag the country into further deterioration and explosion.

Amer sent a letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, calling for urgent intervention to prevent the situation from deteriorating further, warning that the situation could spiral out of control.

To date, the United States has not issued any official comment on these statements, while Houthi data indicates that US airstrikes since mid-March have killed more than 200 civilians and injured over 400 others.

These developments come at a time of heightened tensions in the region, amid fears of the conflict expanding and its humanitarian and security repercussions for Yemen and the entire region.