In a recent escalation in the Red Sea, on Monday Yemen’s Houthis launched a second attack targeting a US aircraft carrier in the northern Red Sea. The attack came after the US military conducted fresh airstrikes on Houthi targets, which caused 53 casualties.
On Monday the Houthis said they attacked the USS Harry Truman and its accompanying naval vessels with a barrage of missiles and drones following Sunday’s deadly US strikes against the group that killed 53. The US has yet to comment on the claims.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in the statement that “In response to the continued American aggression against our country … our armed forces targeted for the second time in less than 24 hours, the US aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman in the northern Red Sea with ballistic and cruise missiles and drones.”
“Our armed forces also succeeded in thwarting a hostile attack the enemy was preparing to launch against our country by launching several rocket and drone attacks that forced the enemy warplanes to return,” he said.
Sarea also vowed to expand attacks to include all US naval and commercial vessels in the region if US airstrikes continued.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command said in a post on X that its operations against the Houthi group continued, referring to fresh airstrikes against Houthi targets, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.
Houthi TV al-Masirah reported that US airstrikes on Monday targeted a cotton ginning factory in Zabid District, south of the western province of Hodeidah, and the governorate building in the northeastern province of Al-Jawf. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
The Houthi-run health ministry in Sanaa said that the death toll from US airstrikes has increased to 53, including five children and two women, with 98 others wounded. Rescue operations are underway to search for others trapped under the rubble.
The US airstrikes began Saturday evening as President Donald Trump vowed to continue air attacks until the Houthis stopped attacking international shipping lines and ships.
The US has escalated its strikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, with President Donald Trump vowing on Saturday to use ‘overwhelming lethal force’ against the rebels who have attacked international ships in the Red Sea in ‘solidarity’ with Gaza. This was also the first major attack by the US defence forces after Trump returned to power.
Previously, After the US attack, the US Secretary of State, Rubio said. “This is an effort to deny them the ability to continue to constrict and control shipping.”
He also mentioned the damage that the Houthis had done yet to the world. The secretary of state said that over the last 18 months, the Houthis have “struck or attacked 174 Naval vessels of the United States,” along with 145 attacks on commercial shipping.
“So we basically have a band of pirates, you know, with guided precision anti-ship weaponry and exacting a toll system in one of the most important shipping lanes in the world,” Rubio said. “That’s just not sustainable.”
Asked how long the campaign will last, Rubio said it will continue until the Houthis “no longer have the capability todo that.” He also acknowledged that he’s heard no talk of ground raids so far and doesn’t think there’s “a necessity for it right now.”
Several US strikes in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and other areas have resulted in numerous casualties, with the militants also vowing escalation as they face one of the most extensive attacks since the war in Gaza began in October 2023.
