Houthi rebels claim to have attacked US warships three times in the past 24 hours, led by the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, with drones and cruise missiles in the Red Sea, Yemen’s Saba news agency said on Wednesday, after American strikes killed at least four.
The Houthi operations came after the Ministry of Health and Environment reported four Yemeni civilians killed and two injured as a result of US attacks. The rebel group said the US strikes breach international law and constitute a "war crime".
Houthi-affiliated media reported strikes on water infrastructure in Hodeidah, the north-western region of Hajjah and in the group's stronghold of Saada. Washington has not commented on these raids.
US President Donald Trump ordered attacks on the Houthis last month, vowing to "annihilate" the Iran-backed rebels, after the group inflicted numerous attacks on international ships and Israel. Mr Trump warned raids would continue until the Houthis are no longer a threat to "freedom of navigation" in the Red Sea.
"The choice for the Houthis is clear: stop shooting at US ships and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran." Mr Trump said in the post on X.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has stationed more forces in the Middle East, as well as the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group and military aircraft. The USS Carl Vinson will arrive in the region after completing exercises in the Indo-Pacific, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said.
The Houthis have been attacking vessels in the Red Sea since November 2023, a month after the Israel-Gaza war began. More than 100 merchant ships have been hit with drones and missiles, in what they described an act of outward solidarity with Gazans in the enclave.
The attacks stopped during a temporary truce between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas, which started on January 19, but resumed after the ceasefire collapsed on March 18. However, the Houthis have vowed to press ahead with its Red Sea operations. "These operations will not stop until the aggression against Gaza stops and the [Israeli] siege is lifted," a statement from rebel group read.
