Houthis say they attacked warship after deadly US-UK attacks

(Bloomberg) — The Houthis said they attacked a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Red Sea in response to American and British air strikes on their positions in Yemen on Thursday.

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The Iranian-backed militant organization was targeting the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, a spokesman said in a televised speech on Friday. He gave no further details and there is no indication that the ship was damaged or close to being hit. The Houthis have regularly attacked US Navy ships this year with drones and missiles, all of which have either disappeared or been intercepted.

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The US and UK military struck 13 Houthi targets in Yemen and, according to the Houthis, killed at least 16 people. That would make it the deadliest attack against the group since it began a military campaign in January to prevent attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The Houthis said some of these people were civilians who were in the port city of Hodeida. Sanaa, the capital, and other areas were also hit, the Houthis said.

The US military said that in addition to the strikes, it destroyed eight unmanned aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and neighboring waters on Thursday.

“It was determined that these UAVs and sites posed a threat to U.S. and coalition forces and merchant shipping in the region,” said U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Houthi missile and drone attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden began in November and have disrupted global trade. Many major shipping companies are avoiding the area, which connects to the Suez Canal, and sending ships between Asia and Europe on much longer journeys around southern Africa. This caused shipping rates to skyrocket.

The militants have vowed to continue their attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians and call on Israel to stop its war against Hamas in Gaza.

The attack comes as Israeli troops pursue Hamas militants in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, despite calls from the US, EU and other allies to exercise restraint and do more to protect civilians.

(Updates with news of attack on warship and casualties.)

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