Iran-backed Houthis attack US aircraft carrier in the Red Sea

The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen said they had attacked the US aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower in the Red Sea.

The incident came shortly after US officials, quoted by Sky News Arabia, said the aircraft carrier was deployed to the region to support Israel in the event of a full-scale war against Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah.

Previously, a report from the US Naval Institute intelligence service quoted an anonymous official as saying that the Eisenhower was expected to return to Norfolk, Virginia, after leaving the Red Sea.

Before the Houthis’ attack on the Eisenhower, media close to the Houthis had reported four American-British air strikes on the positions of the Tehran-backed group in western Yemen, which had escalated the conflict.

The Houthis have stepped up their maritime attacks, including the recent sinking of the ship Tutor, marking a new phase in their strategy against international shipping routes since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The attacks began after Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslim nations to block Israeli trade in early November amid the Gaza war.

The Houthis claim responsibility for over 60 targeted attacks on ships since November, as well as numerous other missile and drone launches, which have led to the deaths of four sailors and the hijacking or sinking of several ships.

Despite Houthis’ claims that they attacked ships Although many of the ships attacked are linked to Israel, the US or the UK, they reportedly have little or no connection to the war between Israel and Hamas. In response, US-led airstrikes have been carried out on Houthi positions since January.