Yemeni Houthis Claim Fifth Attack on U.S. Aircraft Carrier in Red Sea

Yemeni Houthis Claim Fifth Attack on U.S. Aircraft Carrier in Red Sea

In a bold assertion, Yemen’s Houthi group announced on Saturday night that it had launched a new missile and drone attack against the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the northern Red Sea within the past 24 hours. According to Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea, the operation lasted nine hours and marked the fifth time the group has targeted the aircraft carrier since its arrival in the Red Sea.

“The operation achieved its goals successfully and forced the aircraft carrier to leave the theater of operations and flee to the far north of the Red Sea,” Sarea stated in a broadcast on the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV channel.

The Houthis claim that the attack was conducted in solidarity with the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and was a response to recent U.S.-British-Israeli air strikes on Houthi sites in northern Yemen on Friday. Sarea vowed to continue launching attacks against Israel until “aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”

On Friday afternoon, Israel announced that it had conducted a joint air assault with the U.S.-led naval coalition, targeting a power station and two ports in the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, Amran province, and the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah. The Houthi-run al-Masirah TV reported one death and nine injuries resulting from Friday’s attack.

The Houthis have been in control of much of northern Yemen since late 2014, after forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government out of the capital, Sanaa. Since November 2023, the group has been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israel and disrupting “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea, expressing solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing conflict with Israelis.

In retaliation, Israel has launched multiple air strikes on Houthi targets. Additionally, since January 2024, the U.S.-led naval coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids and strikes on Houthi sites in an effort to deter the armed group. This escalation has prompted the Houthis to expand their attacks to include U.S. warships.

As tensions continue to rise in the region, the Houthis’ latest attack signals a further intensification of their involvement in the broader Middle Eastern conflicts, potentially impacting international shipping lanes and regional security.