ADEN, Yemen, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group announced Sunday it had conducted military operations against Ben Gurion Airport in Israel and several U.S. naval vessels including an aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.

In a televised statement broadcast on the group's Al-Masirah channel, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said the group's missile forces targeted Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv with a "Palestine II" hypersonic ballistic missile.

"The operation successfully achieved its goal, leading to the suspension of air traffic at the airport for more than half an hour," Sarea claimed.

Meanwhile, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said a ballistic missile fired at Israel by the Houthis in Yemen on Sunday morning was successfully intercepted by air defenses.

There were no reports of injuries or damage from the attack, which triggered sirens across central Israel, said the IDF, confirming the missile was shot down before it crossed the country's borders.

The Houthi spokesman also claimed that militant forces engaged the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and other American warships in the Red Sea with "a number of missiles and drones," with clashes reportedly lasting several hours.

According to Sarea, the military actions were taken "in response to the American aggression, which has launched dozens of raids on Yemen in the past hours."

The announcement follows intensified U.S. military operations against Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. American fighter jets conducted multiple strikes targeting Hodeidah Airport with at least six raids, as well as the port of Salif in Hodeidah during the past hours.

Additional U.S. strikes reportedly hit sites in Saada province, the group's northern main stronghold, and the Majzar district in oil-rich Marib province, east of the country's capital Sanaa.

These military exchanges are part of an ongoing air campaign launched by U.S. forces in mid-March against Houthi-controlled territories in Yemen. The Houthi group has vowed to continue targeting Israeli sites in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and to respond to what they describe as "American aggression."

"Our forces continue to confront this criminal aggression and bravely meet escalation with escalation," Sarea stated. Enditem

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