The US military announced Thursday that a second aircraft carrier deployed to the Middle East to protect trade flows has arrived in the region, as the US military is currently waging an intensive campaign of strikes against the Houthis in Yemen.

"The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) and its air wing, which includes F-35C Lightning II fighters, are operating alongside the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in the US Central Command area of responsibility," the US Central Command said in a statement.

According to a US military official, the United States has struck more than 100 targets in Yemen since launching its latest air campaign against the Iran-backed Houthis in mid-March.

The Houthis are launching attacks on US warships and Israel, claiming they are in solidarity with the people of Gaza.

The Houthis began targeting ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as well as Israel, after the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, and halted the attacks after a truce in the Strip took effect in January.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza since early March and resumed its war on the Strip on March 18, ending a short-lived truce.

The new US campaign came after Houthi threats to resume attacks due to the Israeli blockade of Gaza.

Houthi attacks have disrupted a vital sea route through which approximately 12% of global shipping traffic normally passes, forcing many companies to take a much longer alternative route, by circumventing Africa.