Illustrative image.
The Iran-backed Houthis (Ansar Allah) in Yemen announced early on June 23 that they had conducted a joint military operation with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), targeting four ships at Israel’s northern Haifa port.
Houthi military spokesperson Brigade General Yahya Saree said in a statement that the two groups launched a drone attack on two cement tankers and two cargo ships at the port a day earlier. He said the ships belonged to companies that “violated the ban on entering the ports of occupied Palestine.”
In addition, the spokesman said that the Houthis had attacked a merchant vessel, the Shorthorn Express, in the Mediterranean Sea using drones as part of the group’s campaign to disrupt shipping in key waterways, which they say is an act of solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip war.
“The two operations successfully achieved their objectives, and the strikes were precise and direct,” He said.
The IRI, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions in Iraq, confirmed the joint operation, without providing any further details.
The Israeli military announced later on June 23 that its fighter jets shot down a drone heading toward Israel from the eastern direction overnight. Israel has described past attacks from Iraq as “from the east,” which indicate that the drone was likely among those launched by the IRI during the joint operation with the Houthis.
The operation was the second to be announced by the Houthis within a few hours. Late on June 22, the group said that it had launched ballistic missiles at the United States aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the northern Red Sea. The carrier is currently withdrawing to the Mediterranean Sea and will soon be replaced with another carrier from the Pacific Fleet.
“The missile force in our armed forces carried out an operation targeting the American aircraft carrier Eisenhower in the northern Red Sea with several ballistic and cruise missiles, and the operation achieved its goals successfully,” Brig. Gen. Sarea said in a statement.
In the same statement, the spokesman said that the Houthis also attacked the merchant vessel Transworld Navigator in the Arabian Sea with ballistic missiles as a response to what Houthis called the vessel owner’s violation of their entry ban to Israeli ports.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, a detachment of the Royal Navy, reported explosions in the vicinity of a merchant vessel 126 nautical miles east of Yemen’s southern port city of Aden. There were no reports of casualties or damage.
From its side, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) denied in a statement released on June 23 that the carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower was hit, calling the Houthis’ claims “category false.”
In addition, the command said that its forces destroyed over the past day three Houthi uncrewed surface vessels in the Red Sea and confirmed that the group launched an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden without reporting any losses.
“This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” CENTCOM said.
It’s worth noting that Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is run by the Houthis, said that four “American-British strikes” hit the northwestern outskirts of Yemen’s Red Sea port city of al-Hodeidah on June 22. The news channel didn’t report any losses however.
Since last November, the Houthis have attacked dozens of vessels affiliated with Israel or owned by the U.S. and the UK in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea in response to the Israeli war and siege on Gaza.
In addition, the group launched dozens of drones and missiles at the southernmost Israeli city of Eilat and shot down six American-made combat drones over Yemen and nearby waters.
The U.S. and the UK have carried out hundreds of strikes against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen since January in an attempt to deter the group and degrade its offensive capabilities, but to no avail.
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“he said the ships belonged to companies that “violated the ban on entering the ports of occupied palestine.””
that’s right, tali-ban all violators!
the real malign actors are the americans and israelis. they love to call others ‘malign’. these tyrannical fascist cockroaches hate it when their victims are armed. they prefer killing unarmed people. cowards
would like to see photos of cv-n dwight d. eisenhower houthi damage would signal obsolescence of the entire carrier fleet
not much to look at ,some some blackened blistered paint.
the scrapped carrier is ‘escaping’ through the suez canal but will be a complete sitting duck once in. if the replacement carrier takes the same route back to yemen it will become really interesting. let see what happens.
it can’t use same route, because 2nd carrier comes from the pacific, i.e. from guam, yokosuka or pearl-harbor, so it’s passing through malaccian straight, indian ocean and arabian sea to enter red sea or persian gulf. and i doubt that “ansar allah” will strike any targets in egypt (suez).
how can it be scrapped if all crew are onboard and still floating?
when the houthis get the special cargo delivered from it’s allies will the zionists realize their screwed
estados unidos covarde, uss dwight d. eisenhower fugiu como um rato de volta para sua toca. ele com certeza, está seriamente danificado.
glória e poder aos houthíes, vitória invencível aos homens de sandálias.