US strikes in Yemen: 53 killed, fighter jets down 11 Houthi drones

The Houthis announced that the death toll from US airstrikes had risen to 53. Meanwhile, a US official said that a US fighter jet shot down 11 Houthi drones on Sunday, after the group announced an attack on a US aircraft carrier.

According to health authorities in Houthi-controlled Sanaa, the death toll has risen to 53, including five children and two women, while the number of injured has risen to 98, including nine children and nine women.

According to Houthi media, 47 US airstrikes have been launched since Saturday evening, after the United States announced the start of ongoing attacks on the Houthis. The White House said Sunday evening that the raids targeted Houthi leaders.

The Houthis did not mention the deaths of any of the group's leaders in their announcement of the raids. The US airstrikes targeted the al-Jarraf neighborhood on Saturday, which houses the group's political bureau.

A US official said that an American fighter jet shot down 11 Houthi drones. He added, "The US military tracked a missile launched by the Houthis that failed to fly and fell into the waters off Yemen and did not pose a threat," according to Reuters.

The Houthis announced they had targeted the US aircraft carrier with missiles in response to the US strikes. The group's military spokesman said, "The US aircraft carrier (USS Harry Truman) and its warships in the northern Red Sea were targeted with 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and a drone."

In a speech Sunday evening, the Houthi leader vowed to target American cargo ships in the Red Sea following the recent US raids in Yemen. He said, "The US aircraft carrier and warships will be our target, and the navigation ban will include the US as long as it continues its aggression."

Source: Yemen Youth Net + Agencies