US officials say they're not aware of any attack on Eisenhower aircraft carrier after Houthi leader claims group's missile strike was 'accurate and direct'

U.S. defense officials have said they are not aware of any attacks on USS Eisenhower after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed to have launched a barrage of missiles at the aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.

Houthi general Yahya Saree said the attack was in retaliation against 'American-British aggression' - airstrikes overnight which killed 16 people and wounded 41 others, including civilians, according to the group.

Winged and ballistic missiles were used in the attack on the US warship, the military spokesperson said without providing evidence, adding that 'the hits were accurate and direct'. 

He warned that the rebels would 'meet escalation with escalation', and vowed that their forces would 'not hesitate to respond directly and immediately' to 'all hostile American and British targets in the Red and Arabian Seas.'

The U.S. and British militaries said they launched strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Thursday to deter the militant group from further disrupting shipping in the Red Sea.

The U.S. Central Command said coalition forces had hit 13 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the attack was a response to recent US and UK-led bombing operations

The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier transits the Strait of Gibraltar, October 28, 2023

Houthi supporters hold up their weapons during a protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Sana'a, Yemen, May 24, 2024

The British defence ministry said the joint operation targeted three locations in the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah, which it said housed drones and surface-to-air weapons.

British and American fighter jets as well as U.S. ships hit a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities, according to officials. 

Also struck were eight uncrewed aerial vehicles in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen that were determined to be presenting a threat to US and coalition forces.

It marks the fifth time the US and British militaries have conducted a combined operation against the Houthis since January 12.

The US has also been carrying out almost daily strikes to take out Houthi targets, including incoming missiles and drones aimed at ships, as well as weapons that were prepared to launch.

According to the Houthis, the strikes targeted the port of Salif, a radio building in Al-Hawk district, Ghalifa camp and two houses. 

Houthi-allied Iran condemned the strikes as 'violations of Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity... international laws and human rights', Iranian state media reported.

Mock Houthis-made drones and missile are on display at a square in Sana'a, Yemen, May 29, 2024

Houthi military helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023

'The aggressor U.S. and British governments are responsible for the consequences of these crimes against the Yemeni people,' Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said.

The Houthis in recent months have stepped up attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden , demanding that Israel end the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians.

The war began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 250 hostage.

The Yemeni group have so far launched more than 50 attacks, killed three sailors, seized one vessel and sunk another, according to the U.S. Maritime Administration.