An explosion occurred in the Gulf of Aden! The USS Eisenhower will leave
DUBAI (AP) — An explosion occurred near a merchant ship traveling through the Gulf of Aden in what could be the latest attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels seeking to target the waterway.
The Houthis opened fire again after a cargo ship was damaged in an attack this week, appearing to mark an escalation in Houthi attacks on ships in vital sea lanes in the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The report quoted the Maritime Trade Operations Office of the British military as saying that late on the 21st, the captain of the attacked ship saw "an explosion near the ship."
"The crew is reported safe and the vessel is proceeding to the next port of call," the Office of Maritime Trade Operations said, without elaborating on whether the vessel was damaged.
The Houthis did not immediately claim responsibility for the attack.
At the same time, the U.S. Naval Institute Press Office quoted an anonymous official as saying that the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower, which has been responding to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, will return to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia. Previously, the Eisenhower had been deployed there for more than eight months. The Navy said this was the "most intense" deployment since World War II.
▲The USS Eisenhower aircraft carrier sails in the Red Sea.
The report also said that a US aircraft carrier operating in the Pacific will take over the mission of the "Eisenhower". Currently, the closest US aircraft carrier known to be operating in Asia is the "Theodore Roosevelt".
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