The United States launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen’s Red Sea port city of Hodeidah early Monday, escalating tensions with the Houthi movement in the region. The strikes targeted the Zabid District, according to Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV, hours after the group claimed an attack on a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Red Sea.
The overnight airstrikes also reportedly hit the Galaxy Leader, a vessel seized by the Houthis in November 2023. The attack marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and the Houthis, who have controlled large parts of Yemen over the past decade.
On Sunday, the Houthis announced they had launched drones and 18 ballistic and cruise missiles at the USS Harry S. Truman and accompanying warships, in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes across northern Yemen the previous day. The Saturday airstrikes, which the Houthi-run health department reported killed at least 53 people, represent the largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East in recent years.
A U.S. official told Reuters that American warplanes had shot down 11 Houthi drones on Sunday, none of which posed a significant threat to the Truman. The official added that a missile was tracked landing off the coast of Yemen without incident.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the United States’ commitment to protecting its interests in the region. “This is about stopping the shooting at assets in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States,” Hegseth told Fox News. “They better back off.”
The Houthis accused the U.S. of supporting Israel and warned that American actions could intensify the conflict. They vowed to continue imposing a naval blockade on Israeli interests in the region, including the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, until aid is allowed into Gaza.
The recent escalations come after the Houthis threatened to resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red Sea if Israel did not lift restrictions on aid entering Gaza. The group has conducted numerous attacks on ships following the onset of Israel’s conflict with Hamas in late 2023, stating their solidarity with the Palestinian people.
