Houthis target US aircraft carrier after Trump orders airstrikes on Yemen

The Houthis have claimed responsibility for a large-scale attack on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, launching 18 ballistic and cruise missiles along with drones, the group announced on March 16.

Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree stated that the assault was a direct response to more than 47 US airstrikes on Yemen's rebel-held areas, Caliber.Az reports, citing European news outlets.

The airstrikes, ordered by US President Donald Trump, targeted multiple locations, including the capital Sanaa and the northern province of Saada, a Houthi stronghold bordering Saudi Arabia.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces will not hesitate to target all American warships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea in retaliation for the aggression against our country," Saree declared.

Both Washington and the Houthis have warned of further escalation as the US airstrikes aimed to deter the Iran-aligned group from attacking military and commercial vessels in the strategic waterway.

Renewed Houthi attacks in the Red Sea

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted international shipping in the Red Sea, sinking at least two vessels, citing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing conflict with Hamas, another Iran-backed group. The group's attacks had halted following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that took effect on January 19, a day before Trump took office. However, last week, the Houthis declared they would resume targeting Israeli-linked vessels after Israel imposed a blockade on Gaza, cutting off humanitarian aid.

US warns of continued military action

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized that the administration would not tolerate Houthi control over global maritime routes. “We’re not going to have these people controlling which ships can go through and which ones cannot,” Rubio said in a media interview on March 16.

When asked about the duration of US operations, he responded, “It will go on until they no longer have the capability to do that,” underscoring that the new strikes would differ from the Biden administration’s limited military responses.

Heavy casualties reported in Yemen

The Houthi-run health ministry reported that the latest US airstrikes on March 16 killed at least 53 people, including five women and two children, and wounded more than 100 others in Sanaa and Saada. Officials said over a dozen of the injured were in critical condition. The strikes were among the most extensive against the Houthis since the Gaza conflict erupted in October 2023.

On March 15, President Trump vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis ceased their attacks on the vital maritime corridor. He also warned Tehran that it would be held “fully accountable” for the actions of all its regional proxies, including the Houthis.

Iran denies direct involvement

Despite US accusations, Iran denied any role in the Houthi attacks. General Hossein Salami, head of Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, stated on state-run media that Tehran “plays no role in setting the national or operational policies” of the militant groups it supports across the region.

The situation in the Red Sea continues to escalate as both sides prepare for further confrontations, raising concerns over wider regional instability.

By Khagan Isayev