The Houthis, an Iranian-backed Yemeni armed group, claimed to have carried out attacks on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones after President Donald Trump launched airstrikes against them.
The U.S. military‘s Central Command (CENTCOM) said it would continue operations against the Iran-backed militant group.
Newsweek contacted CENTCOM and the U.S. State Department of Defense for comment.
Why It Matters
The Houthis operate in the Red Sea, one of the world’s most important shipping routes, and their attacks can hamper global trade by forcing vessels to divert and pushing up security, fuel and insurance costs. That can have an impact on inflation worldwide.
Their links to Iran also make them an important front in the proxy war that Tehran has been waging against Israel and which also targets its U.S. ally.
What to Know
The group, known as Ansar Allah, said it attacked the USS Harry S. Truman twice in past 24 hours, with ballistic and cruise missiles, and drones, in a retaliation operation “that lasted for seven hours,” military spokesperson Yahya Saree said early on Monday.
CENTCOM released a 16-second video clip of aircraft preparing for takeoff and said that forces “continue operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists.” CENTCOM announced on Saturday the launch of an operation consisting of strikes against Houthi targets across Yemen, saying the goal is to “restore freedom of navigation.”
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he had ordered “decisive and powerful” military action against the Houthis. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio relisted the Houthis as a terrorist organization, with the U.S. sanctioning seven senior members for smuggling weapons into Yemen and negotiating arms deals with Russia.
The U.S. strikes on Saturday killed at least 53 people and injured a hundred, according to Houthi officials.
Ansar Allah said U.S. airstrikes also targeted its command tower on the Israeli cargo ship ‘Galaxy Leader’, which the group captured in November 2023. Last week, the Houthis imposed a naval blockade on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden until it agrees to allow humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
Since 2023, the Houthis have launched over 100 missile and drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, targeting American and allied ships, according to U.S. officials. The group has previously attacked vessels and launched missiles and drones at Israel, though most have been intercepted.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres called on Sunday for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities”.
CENTCOM forces continue operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists… pic.twitter.com/zEWykoDKQR
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 17, 2025
What People Are Saying
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, told Fox News: “This isn’t a one-time thing, this will continue until you say we’re done shooting at ships, we’re done shooting at assets. We don’t want a long-limited war in the Middle East, we don’t care what happens in the Yemeni civil war. This is about stopping the shooting at assets in that critical waterway to re-open freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long, they better back off.”
Ansar Allah leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi: “The American aggression is a failure and will continue to fail. It will not achieve their goals of making us back down from our position or undermining our country’s military capabilities, because we are living a jihadist experience and have been resisting American aggression for many years. We will respond to escalation with escalation, targeting their aircraft carriers and warships, and imposing a blockade on their ships.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry: “The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the brutal U.S. and UK airstrikes on various regions of Yemen, which resulted in the martyrdom and injury of dozens, including innocent women and children.”
What Happens Next
Escalation is likely to continue in the Red Sea and in Yemen. The Houthis are threatening further attacks against the U.S. and Israel, in relation to growing tensions in Gaza. The U.S. says it will not tolerate Houthi attacks.
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