A second American aircraft carrier has reached West Asia, where the United States is carrying out near-daily airstrikes against Yemen amid the Arab country’s military operations in support of Palestinians in war-ravaged Gaza.
The USS Carl Vinson, armed with F-35C stealth warplanes, joined another American aircraft carrier, USS Harry S. Truman already deployed in the region, according to a X post by U.S. Central Command on Thursday.
The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump launched intense airstrikes on Yemen on March 15 after the Arab country promised to resume anti-Israel military operations to pressure the regime to end its war on Gaza and lift the siege on the territory.
The Trump administration decided to reinforce its military presence in the region as Yemen’s Armed Forces escalated attacks on USS Harry S. Truman and downed several MQ-9 drones. The Yemeni armed forces also increased military operations on targets inside Israel.
The U.S. has struck more than 100 targets in Yemen since the start of the air campaign last month, according to the AFP news agency citing a U.S. defense official.
Washington claims that it strikes military positions. Reports on the ground however show that residential areas are being targeted.
The latest U.S. strikes happened early on Friday, which according to Yemen’s Al-Masirah television, hit residential and agricultural areas in the capital, Sana’a, causing material damage.
Two days earlier, U.S. airstrikes on an area near the western port city of Hudaydah left at least eight people dead and 16 more wounded, including women and children, according to officials of the ruling Ansarullah Movement in Sana’a.
IRNA