Yemen’s Houthi group announced on Saturday night that it launched a new missile and drone attack against the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the northern Red Sea. The attack, which reportedly lasted nine hours, marks the fifth time the Houthis have targeted the aircraft carrier since its arrival in the region.
“This is the fifth time we targeted the aircraft carrier since its arrival in the Red Sea,” Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired on the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. “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 that the attack was in support of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and a response to recent U.S.-British-Israeli air strikes on Houthi sites in northern Yemen. He vowed to launch more attacks against Israel until “aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”
On Friday afternoon, Israel announced 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. According to the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV, the attack resulted in one death and nine injuries.
The Houthis have controlled much of northern Yemen since late 2014, when they took over the capital, Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized Yemeni government to flee. Since November 2023, the Houthis have been conducting rocket and drone attacks on Israel and disrupting “Israeli-linked” shipping in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians amid ongoing conflicts.
In response, Israel has launched multiple air strikes on Houthi targets. Additionally, the U.S.-led naval coalition in the area has been conducting regular air raids and strikes on Houthi sites since January 2024 in a joint effort to deter the armed group. These actions have prompted the Houthis to expand their attacks to include U.S. warships.
