Houthis say targeted Israel army site, US warships in Red sea: statement

SANAA

Yemen's Houthis said they targeted a military site in Israel and attacked two U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea on April 7, shortly after Israel's army said it intercepted a drone launched from the east.

The group "carried out a military operation targeting an Israeli military target in the occupied area of Yaffa using a 'Yaffa' drone," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.

The Houthis also targeted "two U.S. destroyers with several cruise missiles and drones" in the Red Sea, he added.

Earlier, the Israeli military said it intercepted a drone "that approached Israeli territory from the east" before it could cross over into its territory.

Later on April 7, the Houthis' Al-Masirah TV said five U.S. strikes had hit the Harib district in Marib province.

Rebel-held areas of Yemen have seen near-daily strikes blamed on the United States since Washington launched an air campaign against the Huthis on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.

Since then, the Houthis have also launched attacks targeting U.S. military ships and Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The rebels began targeting ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, pausing the attacks during a January ceasefire.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza at the start of March, and resumed its offensive on the Palestinian territory on March 18, ending the short-lived truce.

The new U.S. campaign followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on vessels over Israel's blockade on Gaza.

The Houthi attacks had crippled the vital Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies to make a much longer detour around the tip of southern Africa.