On Friday, the Yemeni rebels warned they would keep up their attacks if Israel did not respect the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas, which is scheduled to begin at 0630 GMT Sunday.

Le Monde with AFP

Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed an attack on an American aircraft carrier on Sunday, January 19, and warned of “consequences” for any retaliation during the coming Gaza ceasefire.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces warn the enemy forces in the Red Sea of the consequences of any aggression against our country during the ceasefire period in Gaza,” the rebels said in a statement. “They will confront any aggression with specific military operations against those forces without a ceiling or red lines.”

An initial 42-day truce in the Israel-Hamas war is scheduled to begin at 0630 GMT Sunday.

The Houthis, who have attacked shipping in the Red Sea throughout the war in Gaza, said they targeted the USS Harry S. Truman and other “warships” with drones and cruise missiles.

“The American aircraft carrier was forced to leave the theater of operations,” the rebels’ statement said.

Part of Iran’s “axis of resistance,” the Houthis have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on Israel since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.

They have also waged a harassment campaign against shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, severely disrupting trade routes.

On Friday, the Yemeni rebels warned they would keep up their attacks if Israel did not respect the terms of the ceasefire with Hamas.

Israel says it intercepted missiles from Yemen

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it intercepted two missiles fired from Yemen on Saturday. The military activated air raid sirens in Jerusalem and in parts of central and southern Israel ahead of the interceptions during the day, with the first projectile shot down in the morning.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels claimed the morning attack, hours after the Israeli military intercepted the incoming missile. The Huthis “carried out a specific military operation targeting the so-called Ministry of Defence of the Israeli enemy… using a ballistic missile” in central Israel, the rebels said in a statement.

The morning attack had triggered explosions over Jerusalem as the military intercepted the missile, AFP journalists reported. Later, sirens blared across southern Israel as a second missile was fired from Yemen and intercepted by the Israeli air force, the military said.

“Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the areas of Eilat and Arava, a missile that was launched from Yemen was intercepted” before crossing into Israeli territory, it said.

Source: lemonde.fr