The rise in the death death toll to 53 from the US attack on Yemen was confirmed by a spokesperson for the Houthi-run Health Ministry on Sunday.
Five children and two women were among the victims, while the number of injuries rose to 98, stated Anees Alsbahi, the spokesperson.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said earlier on Sunday that the group targeted the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman and its warships with 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and a drone, state TV Al Masirah reported.
Saree added that the US had launched more than 47 raids on various areas in Yemen.
In separate comments, Abdul Malik al Houthi, the leader of the Houthi movement, said in a televised statement that the US and Israel were “seeking to impose the equation of permissibility on the region and its people”.
“We will respond to the American enemy with missile strikes and targeting its warships and naval vessels,” al-Houthi added, stating that they have decided to “threaten Israeli shipping to pressure the entry of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip”.
The Houthi political bureau announced that the deadly strikes constituted a “war crime”.
Al-Asbahi stated Saturday’s attacks targeted the capital, Sanaa, and areas in Saada, Al Bayda and Radaa.
But after ordering the initial attacks, US President Donald Trump said he would use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis cease their attacks on shipping along the crucial maritime corridor in the Red Sea.
The Houthis, who began their attacks on shipping containers in response to Israel’s war on Gaza in 2023, and in defence of the Palestinians, reiterated on Sunday in separate comments that the “naval operation will continue until [the] Gaza blockade is lifted and aid is let in”.
The Houthis had halted the attacks when the Gaza ceasefire took effect in January and have not launched any attacks in the two months since.
At the beginning of March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the entry of aid deliveries to Gaza was being suspended in a move to pressure Hamas into accepting an extension of the first stage of the ceasefire deal instead of moving on to the next stage, which would negotiate an end to the war.
On Tuesday, the Houthis announced they would resume attacks after their deadline for Israel to allow the resumption of aid deliveries into Gaza had passed.
On Sunday morning, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Washington would conduct “unrelenting” strikes against the Houthis until they stop targeting US assets and global shipping.
Speaking to Fox News, Hegseth noted the campaign was a response to the numerous attacks the Houthis have launched on ships since November 2023 and served as a warning to Iran to cease supporting the group.
“This will continue until you say ‘We’re done shooting at ships. We’re done shooting at assets,’” Hegseth added.
The US and some of its allies have bombed Yemen with cruise missiles on several occasions since January 2024 as Israel’s war in Gaza raged and the Houthis continued their sustained maritime campaign.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also announced that the US military campaign would continue until the group could no longer strike ships. He blamed Iran for supporting the Houthis.
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told ABC that the strikes “actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out”.
On Sunday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities” in Yemen, his spokesperson stated.
“Any additional escalation could exacerbate regional tensions, fuel cycles of retaliation that may further destabilize Yemen and the region, and pose grave risks to the already dire humanitarian situation in the country,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric added in a statement.
