Yemen’s Houthi terrorists claimed to have attacked the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier – as well as several American warships – in the Red Sea.
The terror group said, without offering evidence, that they attacked the Truman and its warships with ballistic missiles and drones in response to the U.S. attacks.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Sunday: ‘The armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, using 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in a joint operation carried out by the missile force, Drone Air Force and the naval forces.’
Several unnamed U.S. defense officials dismissed the claims and said they were not aware of any Houthi attack on the Truman.
The alleged attack comes as the first set of Donald Trump‘s airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed at least 31 people.
The Houthis, who have attacked Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, said children were among those killed by the intense barrage of strikes, which were carried out with British military support. They added that 101 people were wounded.
Trump, in a post on social media, vowed to ‘use overwhelming lethal force’ and ordered Iran to ‘immediately’ cut its support.
‘To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!’ he said.
A spokesperson (pictured) for Yemen’s Houthi terrorists claim to have attacked the USS Harry Truman aircraft carrier
The terror group claimed, without offering evidence targeted, they attacked the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its warships in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones
The Houthis warned that the strikes ‘will not pass without response’, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the deaths and said Washington had ‘no authority’ to dictate its foreign policy.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei ‘strongly condemned the brutal air strikes by the US’ in a later statement, denouncing them a ‘gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter’, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to retaliate against Trump’s strikes.
Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that U.S. airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen ‘took out’ multiple Houthi leaders.
‘This was an overwhelming response that actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out,’ Waltz said on ABC News.
Waltz had been asked by anchor Martha Raddatz about how the strikes by the Trump administration were different from those conducted during the Biden administration.
He said the difference was ‘going after the Houthi leadership’ and ‘holding Iran responsible.’
The Houthi Ansarollah website slammed what it called ‘US-British aggression’ and Washington’s ‘criminal brutality’.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which posted images of fighters and a bomb demolishing a building compound, said ‘precision strikes’ were launched to ‘defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation’.
Images from CENTCOM show US Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier at sea reportedly amidst operations launched against the Houthis
The alleged attack comes as the first set of Donald Trump ‘s airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed at least 31 people
Trump looks on as military strikes are launched against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping
‘Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation,’ the rebels’ political bureau said in a statement on their Al-Masirah TV station.
The rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the ‘axis of resistance’ of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the United States.
They have launched scores of drone and missile attacks at ships passing Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Houthis had ‘attacked US warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023’.
The campaign crippled the vital route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a costly detour around southern Africa.
The Palestinian group Hamas, which has long supported the Houthis, hit out Saturday at the US strikes, branding them ‘a stark violation of international law and an assault on the country’s sovereignty and stability’.
After halting their attacks when Gaza’s ceasefire took effect in January, the Houthis announced on Tuesday that they would resume them until Israel lifts its blockade of aid to the shattered Palestinian territory.
Trump’s statement did not reference the dispute over Israel, but focused on previous Houthi attacks on merchant shipping.
‘To all Huthi [sic] terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!’ he said.
