Yemen Huthis say launched missiles at Israel, US warship

Sanaa — Yemen's Iran-backed Huthis said Thursday they targeted an Israeli airport and army site as well as a US warship, soon after Israel reported intercepting missiles launched from the Gulf country.

 

The Huthis "targeted Ben Gurion airport... with a ballistic missile... and a military target" south of Tel Aviv, their military spokesman Yahya Saree said, adding the rebels also "targeted hostile warships in the Red Sea, including the American aircraft carrier (USS Harry S.) Truman" in response to attacks blamed on the United States.

 

Huthi rebels said on Thursday that two people were killed in overnight air strikes near Sanaa that they blamed on the United States.

 

The Huthis' Al Masirah TV channel reported nearly 20 strikes on Sanaa governorate, both north and south of the capital.

 

"The American aggression killed two and injured two," the Huthi-run health ministry's spokesman Anis al-Asbahi said on social media platform X.

 

Al Masirah also reported strikes early Thursday in Saada, the Iran-backed rebels' northern stronghold which Huthi media had said was hit 17 times the day before.

 

The United States launched air strikes against the Huthis on March 15, vowing to use overwhelming force until they stopped firing on vessels in the key shipping routes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

 

The Huthis have since reported frequent US air strikes on areas under their control.

 

While the United States does not always report these raids, a US defence official told AFP on Sunday that American forces were "conducting strikes across multiple locations of Iran-backed Huthi locations every day and night in Yemen".

 

In response, the Huthis have claimed responsibility for multiple attacks on a US aircraft carrier off Yemen's coast, as well as projectiles fired at Israel.

 

The Huthis began targeting ships after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians. They paused their campaign when a ceasefire took effect in Gaza in January.