A U.S. defense official spoke to NBC news on Monday, and stated that the Yemeni Houthis launched two retaliatory attacks against the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. Both attacks were unsuccessful. After the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen that killed at least 53 people and injured 98, Houthis attacked the USS Harry S. Truman. The Houthis is an Iran-backed militia that’s taken over part of Yemen, and has been launching attacks with missiles and drones against shipping vessels in response to the war in Gaza. On a Yemeni TV broadcast, it shows people searching through the rubble for survivors.
According to Nasr el-Din Amer, a spokesperson for Houthis, most of the casualties were women and children. Amer stated that Houthis will continue their operations until the blockade on Gaza is lifted. Tehran continues to support Houthis and provides them with money, training, and equipment. Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, distanced Iran from Houthis, saying the group made its strategic decisions on their own.
Houthis have targeted over 100 merchant vessels and sunk two vessels and killed 4 sailors during their campaign of targeting civilian and military ships. Earlier in March, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio redesignated Houthis as a foreign terrorist group. Many shippers suspended their service in this region, due to the attacks from Houthis.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/houthis-vow-retaliate-us-strikes-death-toll-rcna196605