Sanaa, Jan 7 (NationPress) The Houthi group in Yemen declared in a statement that they executed a strike on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the northern Red Sea, utilizing two winged missiles and four drones, along with attacks on locations in Israel.

The group stated, "We conducted a significant military operation... at a time when the American adversary was preparing to launch a substantial air assault on Yemen," which was ultimately "foiled" due to their operation, asserted Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea during a broadcast on the Houthi-operated al-Masirah TV.

As per Sarea, the Houthis also executed two drone strikes in the afternoon and another in the evening targeting Israeli locations, specifically hitting two military sites in Tel Aviv and a "critical target" in Ashkelon, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

"Our operations will persist in support of the Palestinian resistance, and these actions will continue until the aggression against Gaza ceases and the blockade is lifted," he added.

As of now, neither the US military nor the Israel Defense Forces have responded to the Houthi claims.

The Houthi announcement coincided with the arrival of UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, which marks his first visit in over a year and a half aimed at revitalizing the stalled peace negotiations.

In a brief message on X, Grundberg highlighted that his visit seeks to "encourage significant and necessary actions" from the Houthi group to further the peace process, according to Xinhua news agency.

The envoy noted that the trip is part of "ongoing efforts to facilitate the release of arbitrarily detained personnel from UN, NGO, civil society, and diplomatic missions."

Grundberg's visit follows a meeting on Sunday in Muscat with the head of the Houthi negotiating team, where he reiterated the importance of concrete steps to ease peace discussions.

This visit is the first by the UN envoy in nearly two years, as escalating tensions and the detention of international personnel have obstructed the negotiation process.

Throughout the past two years, the Houthis have detained numerous employees from UN agencies and various international and local NGOs.

The Houthi group, which maintains control over a significant portion of northern Yemen, has been conducting regular rocket and drone assaults against Israel and disrupting shipping linked to Israel in the Red Sea since November 2023, demonstrating solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid ongoing conflict with Israel.

In retaliation, the US-led naval coalition in the region has frequently launched air strikes against Houthi positions to deter their activities, prompting the Houthis to broaden their attacks to encompass US naval vessels.