US pounds Houthi stronghold as group claims 4th attack on aircraft carrier group
Houthi media says targets include Saada province, said to be a stronghold for the Iran-backed organization; group says it launched missiles, drones at USS Harry S. Truman fleet
The US launched airstrikes on multiple targets across Yemen overnight, including Saada province, which Yemeni sources say is a long-time hideout for Houthi leaders, and the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, Houthi media reported on Wednesday.
The US Central Command confirmed its “continuous operations against Iran-back Houthi terrorists.”
Meanwhile, the Houthis’ military spokesperson said cruise missiles and drones targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group in an attack that was “the fourth within 72 hours.”
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported more than 10 US strikes on various locations, including the Al-Safra district in Saada. The district, which houses weapons storage and training sites, is considered one of the terror group’s most important and heavily fortified military strongholds, according to Yemeni sources.
The United States launched heavy strikes against the Tehran-sponsored group beginning Saturday, prompting mass protests in the war-torn country and retaliatory efforts.
Washington has pledged to hit Yemen with lethal and overwhelming force until the Houthis stop firing on the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The trade route typically handles around 12 percent of global shipping traffic.
Part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against the United States and Israel, the Houthis have been attacking ships in the trade lane since the start of the Israel’s war against the Hamas terror group, which rules Gaza, claiming solidarity with Palestinians.
Attacks by Houthis — whose slogan calls for “Death to America,” “Death to Israel,” and a “curse on Jews” — have forced many vessels to take a much longer, more expensive route around Africa.
War erupted on October 7, 2023, when the Palestinian terror group Hamas invaded Israel, killing some 1,200 people and abducting 251 hostages to the Gaza Strip.
The Houthis, who throughout the war also fired drones and missiles directly at Israel, said the US bombardment would not stop 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.
On Tuesday, the rebels took responsibility for a missile fired at Israel but intercepted, and vowed to escalate attacks in the wake of the resumption of massive military operations in the Gaza Strip.
The missile, which the Houthis said targeted an air base, was the first reported attack on Israel from Yemen since a January 19 ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war.
The complex, three-phase ceasefire agreement, which was meant to see the release of the hostages held in Gaza, stalled after its first stage amid mutual accusations of violations and foot-dragging over negotiations for the following steps.
On Tuesday, Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza, saying weeks of negotiations to extend the hostage-ceasefire deal had failed to bear fruit. There are 59 hostages still held in the Strip.
The Houthis’ supreme political council condemned “the Zionist enemy’s resumption of aggression against the Gaza Strip.”
The Times of Israel Community.