The northern Red Sea is once again a theater of high-stakes military maneuvers. In a dramatic escalation, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for a second attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman, launching ballistic and cruise missiles along with drones just hours after fresh U.S. airstrikes hit Houthi targets.
In an early Monday statement broadcast on al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea declared, "In response to the continued American aggression against our country, our armed forces targeted for the second time in less than 24 hours the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman." He added that coordinated rocket and drone strikes successfully thwarted a hostile operation, forcing enemy warplanes to retreat. Sarea warned that his forces could expand their attacks to include all U.S. naval and commercial vessels in the region if the airstrikes continued.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Central Command confirmed that operations against the Houthi group remain underway. On Monday, U.S. airstrikes also hit a cotton ginning factory in Zabid District, south of the western province of Hodeidah, and a governorate building in the northeastern province of Al-Jawf. According to the Houthi-run health ministry in Sanaa, casualties from these strikes have risen to 53, including five children and two women, with 98 other individuals injured. Rescue operations are currently underway in the affected areas.
This surge in military activity follows airstrikes that began Saturday evening, when President Donald Trump vowed to continue air attacks until the Houthis ceased their assaults on international shipping lines. As both sides intensify their military responses in this strategically critical corridor, global observers are closely watching the developments, hopeful for a de-escalation that will preserve vital maritime routes and protect civilian lives.
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Houthi group targets U.S. aircraft carrier amid fresh U.S. airstrikes
cgtn.com
