The Yemeni Houthi group announced on Saturday that it had conducted attacks on the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the Transworld Navigator ship in the Arabian Sea. The exact timing of these attacks was not disclosed by the group.
The Houthis’ assault follows the recent sinking of the Tutor ship, marking a heightened phase in their campaign against vessels in the strategic maritime corridor amid the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza.
In response to these developments, US officials reportedly instructed the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which had been leading America’s response to the Houthi attacks, to return home. The carrier’s deployment had been extended twice prior.
The Houthis, in control of Yemen’s capital Sanaa since 2014, claimed responsibility for the Saturday night attack. Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesperson, identified the targeted vessel as the bulk carrier Transworld Navigator.
Since November, the Houthis have launched over 60 attacks on specific vessels, in addition to missile and drone strikes, resulting in the deaths of four sailors. They have also seized one ship and sunk two others. A U.S.-led airstrike campaign against the Houthis since January has reportedly caused casualties among the rebels.
In March, the Belize-flagged Rubymar sank in the Red Sea due to damage sustained in a Houthi attack, marking the first sinking in the region involving a vessel carrying fertilizer after days of taking on water.
