SANAA, April 18 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group on Friday claimed responsibility for firing a "ballistic missile" toward Israel, which had been intercepted by Israeli defense systems.

The operation targeted "a military target in the vicinity of Ben Gurion Airport in central Israel using a ballistic missile, Zulfiqar," Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said while addressing a mass protest held to show solidarity with Palestinians.

The group also targeted U.S. aircraft carriers, USS Harry S. Truman and USS Carl Vinson, along with their escorts in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea, he added, noting this was the first time that the group had targeted USS Carl Vinson since its arrival in the Arabian Sea.

Sarea claimed the group also shot down another U.S. MQ-9 drone, the 20th it has downed since November 2023.

"We will not back down from continuing our support operations for the Palestinian people until the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip stops and the siege on it is lifted," Sarea said, while vowing retaliation against the ongoing U.S. airstrikes on Yemen.

The U.S. Central Command has not commented on the Houthi claims yet.

The latest Houthi attacks followed two waves of U.S. airstrikes on the Yemeni fuel port of Ras Isa on Thursday night. The deadly U.S. air raids have so far killed 74 people, wounded 171 others, and destroyed concrete tanks storing imported fuel, according to Houthi-run health authorities. The port has been a lifeline for importing fuel into the areas under the control of the Houthi group.

Tensions between the Houthi group and the U.S. military have escalated since Washington resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on March 15 to deter the group from attacking Israel and U.S. warships in regional waters.

The Houthis, who control vast areas of northern Yemen, have been attacking Israeli targets since November 2023 to show solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Enditem

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