US attacks kill 4 in Yemen as second aircraft carrier sent to Middle East
Four people have been reported killed in attacks by the United States on Yemen's Hodeidah region, the latest deadly strikes against Houthi forces as the US announced the deployment of a second aircraft carrier and more warplanes to the Middle East.
Anees Alasbahi, a spokesman for the Houthi health minister, said three people were confirmed killed in the US attack on Tuesday night but that the death toll was preliminary.
'The American attack, which targeted the water management building in the district of al-Mansouriyah in the governorate of Hodeidah with several strikes on Tuesday resulted in three deaths and two injuries, mostly employees,' Alasbahi said.
The Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV later reported that the death toll had risen to four. Local media reported that the Hajjah region in the northwest and Saada in the north had also been attacked.
The US has not confirmed that it carried out the attacks, which came after Al Masirah TV reported multiple US attacks hitting the Saada and Sanaa regions. There were no immediate reports of casualties from the Monday night attacks.
More than 60 people have been killed in Yemen since Washington launched a military offensive on March 15 against Houthi forces. The Yemeni armed group had threatened to renew attacking Israeli-linked shipping in the Red Sea in response to Israel's breaking of the ceasefire in Gaza.
The Pentagon has also announced that it will increase the number of US aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East to two, keeping one that is already stationed in the Red Sea and sending another from the Asia Pacific region.
The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier will join the USS Harry S Truman in the Middle East, the Pentagon said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that the US will also deploy additional military aircraft.
'The United States and its partners remain committed to regional security in the CENTCOM (Central Command area of responsibility) and are prepared to respond to any state or non-state actor seeking to broaden or escalate conflict in the region,' the Pentagon said.
Houthi forces also claimed late on Tuesday that they had fired a number of cruise missiles and drones at US ships in the Truman aircraft carrier group. It was the third strike against US military vessels in 24 hours, the Houthis said in a statement carried by Al Masirah TV.
Though the Pentagon made no mention of specific aircraft being sent to the region, at least four B-2 bombers have relocated to a US-British military base on the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, according to US officials speaking on condition of anonymity with the Reuters news agency. The Diego Garcia base is within striking distance of Yemen and Iran, experts say.
The US military's Strategic Command has declined to say how many B-2s have reached Diego Garcia and noted that it does not comment on exercises or operations involving the bombers.
The deployment of a second aircraft carrier and B-2 bombers – there are only 20 of the latter in the Air Force's inventory so they are usually used sparingly – comes after US President Donald Trump said that strikes on Houthi fighters would continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.
Trump has also ramped up rhetoric towards Tehran, threatening on Sunday that 'there will be bombing' if Iran does not reach a deal with Washington, on his terms, on Iran's nuclear programme.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday that the US would receive a strong blow if Trump followed through with his threats.
The aerospace commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Amirali Hajizadeh, reminded Washington that it had bases in the Middle East, saying, 'They are in a glass house and should not throw stones'.
The Tehran Times also reports that Iranian forces have readied missiles 'with the capability to strike US-related positions' due to Trump's threats.
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