US denies Houthi claims they planned attack on Eisenhower Group

Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched several attacks on ships in the Middle East over the weekend, reportedly damaging a Liberian-flagged merchant ship near Al Hudaydah.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), which monitors global maritime communications and movements, confirmed that a drone struck a civilian container ship on Sunday, but did not name the ship.

Despite minor damage, UKMTO reported that “all crew are safe and the vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”

In a televised statement early Sunday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed that the group attacked ships near Haifa in northern Israel on Saturday in coordination with the Islamic Resistance in Iraq militia.

Saree said the attack targeted two cement tankers and two cargo ships.

However, Israeli authorities have not commented on Saree’s claim, nor has it been independently verified.

The United States, which has been waging an air and sea campaign against Houthi aggression since January, on Saturday publicly denied Houthi claims that there had been an attack on the U.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower Battle Group.

However, the US Central Command confirmed on Saturday that the military had destroyed three unmanned Houthi warships in the past 24 hours.