Illustrative image.
The Houthis (Ansar Allah) announced late on June 1 that they had carried out six operations targeting an aircraft carrier and destroyer of the United States along with three other vessels in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean in support of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and as a response to recent American and British strikes on Yemen.
The group “targeted the American aircraft carrier, the Eisenhower, north of the Red Sea, with a number of missiles and drones,” military spokesman Brigade General Yahya Saree said in a statement, adding it was “the second targeting operation against the carrier during the past 24 hours.”
The spokesperson also said that four other operations targeted a U.S. destroyer and the Abliani ship in the Red Sea, along with “the Maina ship that has been targeted twice in the Red Sea and in the Arabian Sea as well.” Additionally, “the ship ALoraiq had been targeted in the Indian Ocean,” he added.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), a detachment of the Royal Navy, reported on June 1 an incident 48 nautical miles southwest of the Houthi-held Yemeni province of al-Hodeidah where the vessel’s master witnessed an explosion a significant distance from the ship.
Later, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced that its forces intercepted a Houthi drone over the southern Red Sea on June 1.
“CENTCOM forces also observed two other UAS crashing into the Red Sea,” the command said in a statement. “No injuries or damage was reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.”
One the same day, CENTCOM forces engaged two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles in the southern Red Sea. The command said that the missiles were fired “in the direction of USS Gravely and were destroyed in self-defense, with no damage or injuries reported by U.S., coalition, or commercial ships.”
“It was determined these UAS [Unmanned Aerial Systems] and ASBM [Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile] presented an imminent threat to U.S., coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region,” the command added, noting that its forces took action to “protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for U.S., coalition, and merchant vessels.”
The Houthi, who are backed by Iran, have attacked dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the U.S. and the UK in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea since November in response to the Israeli war and siege on Gaza.
In addition, the group launched dozens of drones and missiles at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat and shot down six American-made combat drones over Yemen and nearby waters.
The U.S. and the UK have carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since January in an attempt to deter the group and degrade its offensive capabilities, but to no avail. In fact, the Houthis’ two recent attacks on the U.S. aircraft carrier Eisenhower show that the group is getting bolder.
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