Houthi claims of assault on U.S. plane service are false, U.S. officers say

A claim by Yemen’s Houthi group on Saturday that its forces had attacked the U.S. aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea is false, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

“That is incorrect,” one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Iran-aligned Houthis first launched drone and missile strikes in the key waterway in November in what they say is solidarity with Palestinian militants in Gaza, where Israel has waged a more than eight-month-old war.

In more than 70 attacks, the Houthis have sunk two vessels, seized another and killed at least three seafarers.

Earlier the Houthi group said its forces had attacked the Eisenhower in the Red Sea and the operation had achieved its objectives successfully without elaborating. The group also said it attacked a commercial ship, Transworld Navigator, in the Arabian Sea. It did not say when the attacks took place.

A Houthi statement said the Transworld Navigator took a direct hit from a missile.