Houthis claim missile strike on US aircraft carrier
Yemen’s Houthis on Friday launched a missile attack on the US aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, according to a statement made on X (former Twitter) by the group’s spokesman Yahya Saree.
Saree claimed the attack came in response to US and UK strikes on the Yemeni provinces of Sanaa, Hodeidah and Taiz. The strikes allegedly targeted civilian infrastructure and resulted in the deaths of 16 people and over 40 wounded.
Several missiles allegedly struck a Hodeidah radio station building, as well as the area surrounding Al-Thawra Hospital and a Coast Guard headquarters in Port Al-Salib, where several commercial ships were damaged. “This represents a clear targeting of civilian objects, a blatant violation of all international laws, and a full-fledged war crime. Therefore, in response to these crimes and the American-British aggression… the Yemeni armed forces carried out a joint military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea,” Saree said in his statement.
He claimed that the strike on the US aircraft carrier “was accurate and direct,” but did not give details on damage the vessel suffered.
The US Navy has not yet issued any statements regarding the purported attack on its ship.
On Thursday, British and American forces launched a large-scale attack on alleged Houthi targets in Yemen as part of an ongoing operation to halt the group’s strikes on commercial ships traversing the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. According to media reports citing military officials, the coalition attacks hit multiple Houthi underground facilities, missile launchers, and command and control sites, as well as a Houthi ship and aerial vehicles in areas of Yemen said to be controlled by the militants.
The Houthis, a Shia Islamist group that controls a large part of Yemen, have been attacking merchant vessels since October, calling it an act of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The militants have vowed to continue disrupting shipping along the vital maritime trade route until Israel stops its war against Hamas.
