Houthis Claim New Attacks in Red Sea
Earlier this month, the Houthis also claimed to have targeted the Harry S. Truman with cruise missiles and UAVs.
Despite the White House’s deployment of additional warships and weapons to the Middle East, the Houthis do not appear to be backing down. Since a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Gaza-based Hamas terror group terminated earlier this year, the Yemen-based Houthi rebels have carried out frequent barrages targeting international vessels in the Red Sea. The Iranian-funded group has launched scores of missile, drone, and rocket attacks toward American ships in the economically critical waterways, eliciting a robust response from the United States. This week, the Houthis claimed responsibility for yet another UAV barrage targeting the USS Harry S. Truman carrier air group in the Red Sea.
According to Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree, “An operation was carried out against the Israeli military in the occupied region of Jaffa using a drone, which successfully achieved its objective,” adding that the strike was “in support of the oppressed Palestinian people and their dear mujahideen [jihadists], and in response to the ongoing war of genocide against our brothers in Gaza.” Over the last month, the U.S.-designated terrorist group has launched more than 100 missile and UAV barrages. Earlier this month, the Houthis also claimed to have targeted the Harry S. Truman with cruise missiles and UAVs, helping to “thwart” part of an attack on Yemen.
How is Washington Confronting the Houthis?
USS Harry S Truman is serving as the first line of defense against Houthi-launched barrages. CVN-75 is the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier to be constructed for the Navy. The massive nuclear-powered warship can notably carry 90 percent more aviation fuel and 50 percent more ordnance than previous American counterparts. As a floating airport, Harry S. Truman can host approximately sixty airframes, including a combination of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft with up to ninety types. The F/A-18 Super Hornets onboard the Harry S. Truman have been particularly useful in striking Houthi assets in Yemen. In March, these fighters were part of a “decisive and powerful” wave of airstrikes targeting the Houthis in Yemen. President Donald Trump noted “Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies,” adding that their “piracy, violence, and terrorism” had cost “billions” and put lives at risk.
The Super Hornet is the massively upgraded variant of the F/A-18 Hornet, which first emerged in the early 1970s from the Lightweight Fighter program in the U.S. military. While these fourth-generation jets do not possess the same stealth capabilities featured by the newer F-35 Lightning II and F-22 Raptor platforms, they are equipped with advanced sensors and radars that make them much harder for adversarial aircraft to detect. In terms of ordnance, the Super Hornets can pack a punch. Armed with Sidewinder missiles, Joint Standoff Weapons, AMRAAMs, Small Diameter Bombs, the Harpoon, the Maverick, and other missiles, these jets have been able to successfully strike Houthi assets in Yemen.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: Skyshark Media / Shutterstock.com