Houthi: "Red Sea Blockade Will Continue Until Relief Supplies Enter Gaza"
The Yemen-based pro-Iran Houthi rebels launched attack drones toward a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, but the U.S. military shot them down.
On the 16th (local time), according to Al Jazeera and other outlets, Yahya Sari, the Houthi spokesperson, stated, "We conducted a military operation targeting the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group of the USS Harry S. Truman," adding, "We launched 18 ballistic and cruise missiles along with one drone."
He explained that this was a retaliation against over 170 airstrikes carried out by the U.S. military in various parts of Yemen. He emphasized that the blockade on vessels linked to Israel in the Red Sea would continue until Israel resumes the entry of relief supplies into the Gaza Strip.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi also declared in a TV speech that as long as U.S. airstrikes in Yemen continue, the Houthis will keep attacking U.S. vessels in the Red Sea. However, the Houthi rebels only confirmed the attack on the U.S. carrier strike group without disclosing specific outcomes.
In this regard, a U.S. official stated that U.S. F-16 and F-18 fighter jets shot down 11 drones launched by the Houthis that day. The official explained that the Houthi drones did not get close to the USS Harry S. Truman. Additionally, the official said that missiles launched by the Houthis were tracked but malfunctioned mid-flight and fell into the sea, posing no further threat, so no response was made.
Earlier, under the orders of U.S. President Donald Trump, the U.S. military conducted airstrikes from early evening the previous day until the morning of the 16th targeting Houthi rebel bases and leaders across Yemen, including the capital Sana'a and its surroundings, northern Saada and Hajjah provinces, Al Bayda in central Yemen, and Taiz in the southwest.
The Houthi Ministry of Health reported that at least 53 people were killed in the U.S. airstrikes, including five children and two women among the deceased.
This airstrike came four days after the Houthis declared they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels, demanding the entry of relief supplies into the Gaza Strip. Since the outbreak of the Gaza Strip war in October 2023, the Houthis have attacked Israeli and Western vessels, including those from the U.S. and the U.K., passing through the Red Sea under the pretext of supporting the Palestinian armed group Hamas. Since the start of the conflict until January, they attacked over 100 commercial ships, sinking two and killing four crew members.
The United Nations expressed concern over the clashes between the U.S. and the Houthis and urged both sides to cease all military activities. UN spokesperson St?phane Dujarric stated in a press release, "Further escalation could deepen regional conflicts, trigger cycles of retaliation, and pose significant risks to Yemen."
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