SANAA, Yemen
The Houthi group said Sunday it targeted a US aircraft carrier with ballistic missiles and drones, in retaliation for American airstrikes on Yemen.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, said in a televised statement aired on the group’s Al-Masirah channel that the US launched “more than 47 blatant airstrikes” on Yemeni soil in recent hours.
Saree specified that the strikes hit areas in Sanaa, Saada, Al Bayda, Hajjah, Dhamar, Marib, and Al Jawf provinces.
“The American enemy committed massacres, resulting in dozens killed and wounded, with a toll still being finalized,” he added.
The Houthi-run Health Ministry said the attacks left 31 dead and 101 injured, mostly women and children.
In response, Saree said Houthi forces conducted a “qualitative military operation” targeting the USS Harry S. Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea with 18 ballistic and winged missiles and a drone.
He vowed the group would not hesitate to strike all US naval assets in the Red and Arabian seas as retribution.
Saree also reaffirmed the Houthis’ maritime blockade on Israeli-linked ships in their declared operational zone, a measure they say will persist until humanitarian aid reaches Gaza.
The attack on the US carrier followed President Donald Trump’s Saturday announcement that he ordered a “decisive and powerful” on the Houthis over attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, marking the first US strikes on Yemen since a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza began Jan. 19.
The Houthis have been attacking Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones since late 2023, disrupting global trade, for what it said was a show of solidarity with the Gaza Strip.