Yemen’s Houthi rebels claim to have launched a missile strike on a United States aircraft carrier in the Red Sea in response to recent deadly raids by the US and UK in Yemen.
Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, confirmed the attack on the Eisenhower carrier on Friday, following earlier accusations by the group that at least 16 people were killed in US and UK deadly raids on Yemen’s Hodeidah province. This is the highest publicly acknowledged death count from numerous rounds of strikes related to the group’s purported attacks on shipping.
Al Masirah television, a Houthi-controlled channel, released footage of wounded civilians being treated in Hodeidah, depicting the aftermath of Thursday’s attacks. At least 42 individuals were reported injured.
Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti stated, “The American-British aggression will not prevent us from continuing our military operations in support of Palestine”.
He warned that the rebels would meet escalation with escalation.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that attacks on 13 Houthi targets destroyed eight uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and over the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defence confirmed that Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s struck Hodeidah and Ghulayfiqah. It defined targets as buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long-range drones, as well as surface-to-air weapons.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the military action as self-defence in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose.
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