Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility Thursday for launching ballistic missiles at Israel's Ben Gurion airport and a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, as the group escalates its campaign against American and Israeli interests in response to continued U.S. airstrikes in Yemen.
Israeli officials said two missiles fired from Yemen were intercepted before entering Israeli airspace, following air raid sirens that were activated across several regions, including Jerusalem. The Houthis later stated that they had targeted the airport and a military site near Tel Aviv, as well as "hostile warships," specifically naming the USS Harry S. Truman.
Yahya Saree, a military spokesperson for the Houthis, said the strike was "in retaliation to the ongoing U.S. aggression against our country." The attack marks a significant escalation in Houthi hostilities since the United States began what it called a "large-scale operation" against Houthi targets on March 15.
The United States has vowed continued military action against the Iran-backed Houthis until they cease their assaults on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden-routes vital to global trade. In recent weeks, the Houthis have claimed near-daily attacks on commercial vessels and U.S. naval assets in those waters.
Early Thursday, the Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported nearly 20 airstrikes in Yemen's Sanaa governorate, north and south of the capital. The group's health ministry spokesman, Anis al-Asbahi, said on social media that "the American aggression killed two and injured two." Additional strikes were reported in the northern stronghold of Saada, which had already been hit 17 times the day prior, according to Houthi media.
The U.S. military has not confirmed every reported airstrike, but a Pentagon official told AFP that American forces are "conducting strikes across multiple locations of Iran-backed Houthi locations every day and night in Yemen."
Thursday's Houthi barrage coincided with fallout from an internal U.S. communications mishap. The Atlantic published details of a Signal chat among senior U.S. officials discussing the March 15 operation after an editor was mistakenly added to the group. The White House has denied that any classified information was disclosed.
Despite the attacks, there were no immediate reports of damage to the USS Harry S. Truman. Italy's ITA Airways confirmed one of its commercial flights was diverted due to the missile launches but landed safely in Tel Aviv.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, the Houthis have positioned themselves as part of Iran's so-called "Axis of Resistance," a regional alliance that includes Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah. The group initially paused its Red Sea attacks during a January ceasefire in Gaza but resumed them after accusing Israel of blocking humanitarian aid to the Palestinian enclave.
Houthi threats against U.S. and Israeli targets have intensified under the Trump administration, with President Donald Trump promising "overwhelming force" and declaring that Iran would be held accountable for attacks carried out by its proxies.
