Sanaa:

Yemen’s Houthi rebels say that they have launched a missile strike on a United States aircraft carrier in the Red Sea in retaliation for recent deadly strikes by the US and UK in Yemen, Al Jazeera reported.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the attack on the Eisenhower carrier on Friday, following earlier claims by the group that at least 16 people were killed in US and UK assaults on Yemen’s Hodeidah province. This marks the highest publicly acknowledged death count from multiple rounds of strikes linked to the group’s alleged assaults on shipping.

Al Masirah television, a Houthi-controlled channel, broadcasted footage showing wounded civilians being treated in Hodeidah, revealing the fallout from Thursday’s attacks. At least 42 people were reported injured.

“The American-British aggression will not prevent us from continuing our military operations in support of Palestine,” Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti said on X, warning that the rebels would “meet escalation with escalation”.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported that attacks on 13 Houthi targets resulted in the destruction of eight uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and over the Red Sea, according to Al Jazeera.

Meanwhile, the British Ministry of Defence stated that Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on Hodeidah and Ghulayfiqah. It described targets as “buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long-range drones, as well as surface-to-air weapons”.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak defended the military action as a form of “self-defence in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose”.

The Houthi movement, aligned with Iran, controls significant portions of Yemen after nearly a decade of conflict against a Western-backed and Saudi-led coalition. They have vocally supported Palestinians amid Israel’s ongoing conflict in Gaza, launching repeated drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb strait, and the Gulf of Aden since November.

Iran condemned the US-UK strikes as “violations of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity … international laws and human rights”, Al Jazeera reported, citing, Iranian state media.

“The aggressor US and British governments are responsible for the consequences of these crimes against the Yemeni people,” Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.

According to the US Maritime Administration, Houthis have launched over 50 attacks on shipping, resulting in casualties, vessel seizures, and disruptions to global trade routes. The campaign has forced shipping firms to seek alternative routes, impacting approximately 12 per cent of global trade that traverses the Red Sea.

Despite retaliatory strikes by the US and UK aimed at degrading Houthi capabilities, the rebels have continued their assaults. In their latest actions, they targeted a Greek-owned bulk carrier and other vessels in response to Israeli strikes on Gaza, Al Jazeera reported.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to protect British interests abroad after the Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out strikes against Houthi rebels.

The UK and US forces struck Houthi targets in Yemen in the fifth combined operation since January.

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed strikes took place against the Houthis on Thursday as part of a response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

In a statement on Friday morning, Sunak said, “Last night, the RAF successfully conducted a fifth set of strikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen alongside the US.”

“These strikes were conducted to further degrade the military capabilities of the Houthis and to prevent further attacks on international shipping.”

“The strikes were taken in self-defence in the face of an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose.”

Asked whether this new round of strikes risked escalation with Iran, Sunak said, “We have always said that we will not hesitate to protect British interests abroad and at home.”

“There is an ongoing threat that the Houthis pose, 197 attacks since November, all our intelligence indicates that previous sets of strikes have been successful in degrading the military capabilities of the Houthis: targeting supply, command and control launch sites for missiles and there is also a risk in inaction that would damage the global economy and further risk our international security.”

The MoD said intelligence had confirmed two locations near Hudaydah as being involved with the anti-shipping attacks, with buildings identified as housing drone ground control facilities and providing storage for very long-range drones.

Surface-to-air weapons used to impede coalition operations to safeguard shipping in the region were also believed to be on-site.

A set of Houthi facilities at Ghulayfiqah, further south on the Yemeni coast, were also identified as being involved in the command and control of the group’s anti-shipping campaign.

RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on the target buildings at the three locations, using Paveway IV guided bombs.

The MoD said the “utmost care” was taken in planning the strikes to “minimise any risk to civilians or non-military infrastructure.”

Two people were killed, and ten others injured in one of the strikes, according to the Houthis’ Al Masirah satellite news.

This is the fifth time the US and UK militaries have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since January 12.

The Houthis, in recent months, have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.

The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage.

The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, according to the US Maritime Administration.

The attacks have disrupted shipping routes in the region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)