US warships have shot down drones fired at an aircraft carrier by Houthi rebels after President Donald Trump launched rolling airstrikes.
The attempted attack marks the first after the Republican launched a series of airstrikes on capital Sanaa, killing at least 53 people, according to the terror group.
APAn aircraft launching from the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea before airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen[/caption]
AlamySmoke rising after an airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen[/caption]
ReutersTrump looks on as military strikes are launched against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping[/caption]
The US warships shot down around a dozen of the deadly Houthi drones targeting the USS Harry Truman aircraft, a senior defence official told Fox News.
They were shot down “well before” they posed a serious threat to it, the source added.
The terror group said they attacked the Truman along with various American warships in the Red Sea.
But a number of unnamed US defence officials were initially quick to dismiss the claims.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said: “The armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, using 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in a joint operation carried out by the missile force, Drone Air Force and the naval forces.”
On Saturday, Trump launched a massive attack on the rebels in Yemen in a stark warning to the militants and their Iranian backers.
The Houthis have claimed the airstrikes have killed at least 54, including five children and two women, with the number of people wounded at 98.
The US president ordered the series of airstrikes on capital Sanaa in response to the terror group’s attacks on Red Sea shipping.
In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump addressed the group directly: “YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”
Trump also warned Iran to stop supporting the group and promised to hold them “fully accountable.”
AlamyPeople gather searching for victims among the rubble of a house hit by a US strike in Saada, Yemen[/caption]
ReutersA ship fires missiles after Trump launched military strikes against Yemen’s Houthis[/caption]
GettyA video shows US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces carry out precision airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthis[/caption]
He said: “Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes.
“If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”
And on Sunday, two US airstrikes targeting the command tower of the detained Israeli ship named Galaxy Leader, according to sources who spoke to Al Masirah.
The airstrikes come in response to the group’s months-long attacks on military and commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks since November 2023, claiming they are targeting vessels linked to Israel over the war in Gaza.
But many of the ships attacked had no connection to Israel.
The group has seized one vessel, sunk two, and killed four sailors.
According to Trump, the attacks have also cost the US and world economy “BILLIONS” of dollars.
The strikes come just days after the Houthis vowed to resume attacks on Israeli-linked ships in response to Israel cutting off aid to Gaza.
The group had paused its operations during a ceasefire but warned that its attacks would now expand to the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Arabian Sea.
Trump’s attack was carried out by the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which includes the carrier, three Navy destroyers, and one cruiser.
The strike group is currently operating in the Red Sea.
A US official confirmed that this was the first strike against the Houthis under Trump’s second administration and was conducted solely by the US.
This is not the first time the US has targeted the Houthi rebels. The US, Israel, and Britain have previously hit Houthi-held areas in Yemen.
Earlier this year, Trump ordered B-2 Stealth Bombers to attack five underground weapons storage sites in Houthi-controlled areas.
ReutersSmoke rises after a missile hit a group of buildings at an undisclosed location in Yemen[/caption]
GettyTrump ordered a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa[/caption]
ReutersHouthi supporters hold up their weapons in March[/caption]
AlamyA Yemeni man walks over the rubble of a building bombed by US forces in Saada, Yemen[/caption]