Yemen’s Houthi rebels said fresh US air strikes on Wednesday killed one person in Hodeida province, after overnight air raids left four people dead in the same area.
Anees Alasbahi, spokesman for the Houthis’ health ministry, reported “one civilian martyr and one wounded” in the Red Sea port of Ras Issa, saying they were “victims of the US enemy’s air force”.
Houthi-controlled media said strikes hit Ras Issa as well as the Iran-backed group’s northern stronghold of Saada.
Earlier on Wednesday the Houthis said overnight air strikes on Hodeida province killed four, in an attack also blamed on the United States.
The United States, which has carried out major raids in Yemen in recent weeks, has not confirmed it was behind the latest strikes.
Houthi media said the targets of the overnight strikes included water infrastructure in Hodeida and areas of the northwestern region of Hajjah.
US President Donald Trump has vowed that attacks on Yemen’s Houthis would continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.
Early Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group targeted US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman for “the third time in 24 hours”.
His statement came just as Washington said it was increasing the number of aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East to two, keeping the Truman and sending another from the Indo-Pacific.
The Carl Vinson would join the Truman “to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
Houthi-held parts of Yemen have witnessed near-daily attacks blamed on the United States since Washington launched a campaign against the rebels on 15 March to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.
Since then, the Houthis have also claimed attacks targeting US military ships and Israel.
On Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the campaign of “over 200 successful strikes against the Houthis” had been effective.
The rebels had targeted passing ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, from shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 until a January ceasefire, claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians.
Renewed US strikes followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on vessels over Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza and attacks on the Palestinian territory after truce talks stalled.
The Houthi attacks had crippled the vital Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a detour around the tip of southern Africa.
(AFP)
