The Houthis claim to have conducted six attacks targeting warships in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Yahya Saree, a spokesperson for the Houthi armed group, declared on June 1 that they “targeted the U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the northern Red Sea with several missiles and drones,” marking the “second targeting operation against the U.S. aircraft carrier in the past 24 hours.”
The Houthi spokesperson also confirmed that other operations targeted a U.S. destroyer and the ABLIANI ship in the Red Sea, while “the MAINA ship was targeted twice in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea.”
Additionally, “the ALORAIQ ship was targeted in the Indian Ocean,” Saree added.
The series of Houthi attacks is believed to be a response to U.S. and U.K. raids on Yemeni provinces.
Earlier, the Houthi-run al-Masirah television reported that U.S. and U.K. fighter jets carried out airstrikes on several Yemeni cities on the evening of May 30, causing damage to buildings and resulting in multiple casualties in Hodeidah.
According to the Houthi spokesperson, six U.S. and U.K. attacks resulted in 16 deaths and 41 injuries, including civilians.
Furthermore, the attacks in Hodeidah province targeted the Salif port, a radio station building in the Al-Hawk district, the Ghalifa camp, and two houses.
The U.S. and U.K. military confirmed that they conducted strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on May 30 to prevent the militants from disrupting maritime transport in the Red Sea.
U.S. Central Command stated that U.S. and U.K. forces attacked 13 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
Meanwhile, the U.K. Ministry of Defense confirmed joint operations targeting three sites in the port city of Hodeidah in the Red Sea, where drones and surface-to-air weapons were located.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hamas erupted in October last year, the Houthis began launching anti-ship ballistic missiles and drones at vessels linked to Israel passing through the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The continuous Houthi attacks have forced shipping companies to reroute vessels on longer, more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
In response, the U.S.-U.K. coalition in the Red Sea has conducted airstrikes and missile attacks on Houthi targets. However, this has led the Houthis to intensify attacks on U.S. and U.K. commercial and naval ships.
