US carries out strikes on Yemen airport; deploys second Navy carrier group to West Asia

DOHA: The United States has carried out three strikes on the airport in Yemen’s Hodeidah city as per the official Saba news agency. US forces bombed the districts of Sahar and Kitaf in the northern province of Saada and carried out five air attacks on the central province of Marib, the Yemeni state media said on Sunday.

A local official told Saba news agency that the US aggression targeted the Majzar district in Marib with five airstrikes.

Meanwhile, the AlHadath broadcaster reported that US warplanes launched three airstrikes on l Hodeidah airport, targeted missile and drone storage facilities and platforms.

Saudi Arabia’s state broadcasters Al Arabiya and Al Hadath sources reported that Mansour al-Saadi, commander of the Houthi naval forces had sustained injuries in the attack.

“Sources indicated that the raids targeted the naval base in the Al-Kathib area,” the website of the Al Hadath reported.

Meanwhile, the United States is sending a second aircraft carrier to West Asia, as the Trump administration intensifies its bombing campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen.

Additionally, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the USS Harry S Truman carrier strike group — currently operating in the Red Sea — to extend its deployment by at least a month, according to two defence officials, who requested anonymity to discuss ongoing operations as per a report in the Politico.

The USS Carl Vinson and its accompanying destroyers will join the ship as escorts in the coming weeks. The Vinson has been conducting exercises in the East China Sea with the Japanese and South Koreans Politico reported citing the first reporting on the development in USNI News.

The Trump administration has pledged to go after Houthi fighters until they end their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea.

On March 15, US President Donald Trump announced that he ordered the US military to launch “decisive and powerful military action” against Houthi terrorists in Yemen. He said that Houthis kept attacking the US, as former US President Joe Biden’s response was “weak” against them.

Trump issued a warning on March 20 as strikes rocked Sanaa, Yemen, the Houthi-controlled capital, and Saada, Yemen, a reported Houthi stronghold.

“They will be completely annihilated!” Trump declared. “It’s not even a fair fight and never will be.”

US warplanes and ships have hit more than 30 targets in Yemen since Saturday, targeting Houthi leaders and missile storage facilities.

On Wednesday, US strikes on Sanaa injured seven women and two children in a residential neighbourhood, the Houthi-run health ministry said as per CNN.

The American broadcaster further said citing the Houthis that US strikes also targeted the western province of Al-Jawf on Wednesday and Hodeidah and Saada early Thursday.

The US Central Command confirmed Wednesday that its forces “continue 24/7 operations against the Iran-backed Houthis” in Yemen.

“US Central Command forces initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to restore freedom of navigation and reestablish American deterrence,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Sean Parnell said on March 17 in the Trump administration’s first Pentagon press briefing.

“Houthi terrorists have launched missiles and one-way attack drones at US warships over 170 times and at commercial vessels 145 times since 2023.”
Air Force Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, director for operations for the Joint Staff, provided details during a March 21 press briefing on the Pentagon’s military campaign against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“The initial wave of strikes hit over 30 targets at multiple locations, degrading a variety of Houthi capabilities,” Grynkewich said, citing hits on terrorist training sites, unmanned aerial vehicle infrastructure, weapons manufacturing capabilities and weapons storage facilities.

Houthis claimed to have conducted a strike on the USS Harry S. Truman, a claim that was dismissed by Grynkewich as missing “by over 100 miles,” as per a Pentagon readout of the press briefing.

The Iran-backed military group has regularly targeted shipping lanes in the Red Sea, hampering global trade since late 2023

The group also claimed to target the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and a number of US warships in the Red Sea with an unspecified number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones, as reported by CNN.

The Houthis earlier said they will continue their assaults on American and Israeli interests until hostilities cease in Gaza. The group had paused its attacks when the ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas was declared in January. (ANI)