Yemen's Houthis claim fourth attack on US fleet in 72 hours

Yemen’s Houthis claimed on Wednesday to have launched a fourth attack in 72 hours on an American fleet in the Red Sea, while the US military insisted its operation against Iran-backed rebels was still proceeding.

According to the Houthis’ military spokesperson, cruise missiles and drones struck the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group in an attack that was “the fourth within 72 hours”.

An hour before, the US Central Command acknowledged its “continuous operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists”.

Beginning Saturday, the United States unleashed significant attacks against the Tehran-backed militia, sparking widespread protests in the war-torn country and retaliatory attempts that, according to a US general, were mostly ineffective.

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Washington has promised to strike Yemen with fatal and overwhelming force unless the Houthis cease shooting on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.  The commerce route handles around 12% of worldwide marine traffic.

The Houthis, who are part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against the US and Israel, have been impeding commerce since the beginning of the Gaza conflict, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.

The Houthis stated the US attack will not deter their support for Gaza.

“The US aggression will not deter the steadfast and struggling Yemen from fulfilling its religious, moral, and humanitarian duties toward the Palestinian people,” the Houthis said in a statement Wednesday.

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On Tuesday, the Hamas-allied rebels also took responsibility for a missile intercepted by Israel, and vowed to escalate attacks after the resumption of massive military operations in the Gaza Strip.

Tuesday’s missile, which the Houthis said targeted an air base, was the first reported attack on Israel from Yemen since the January 19 ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.

Israel said it intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, after air raid sirens sounded in Beersheba and parts of the Negev desert.

A military statement later said that “a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by the IAF (air force) prior to crossing into Israeli territory.”

The Houthis’ supreme political council condemned “the Zionist enemy’s resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip”.

The wave of Israeli strikes in Gaza, by far the deadliest since the truce took effect, killed more than 400 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

The massive, overnight operation threatened to resume the devastating war, with Israel’s prime minister deeming it “essential” to ensure the release of hostages in Gaza.

Hamas accused the Israeli government of effectively signing a death warrant for the remaining captives.