Red Sea heats up? – Houthis claim 2 attacks on USS Truman, vow to strike American vessels

The conflict in the Red Sea over Houthi attacks on maritime traffic through the waterway is heating up. 

Following U.S. strikes on targets throughout Houthi territory in Yemen, the Iran-backed terror group has responded, targeting the USS Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea. 

Claiming to be retaliating against “continued American aggression,” the Houthis say they have launched 18 missiles and a drone at the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships.

In a statement on Telegram, the group claimed that its armed forces “targeted, for the second time in 24 hours, the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the northern Red Sea with a number of ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in an engagement that lasted for several hours.” 

Houthi spokesman Yahya Sare’e vowed that the group "will continue to impose a naval blockade on the Israeli enemy and ban its ships in the declared zone of operations until aid and basic needs are delivered to the Gaza Strip.” 

Meanwhile, the Houthis also claimed to have thwarted a planned strike allegedly being prepared from the USS Harry Truman.

The United States military has not specifically responded to either claim. However, CENTCOM released a video from around the same time as the attacks were alleged to have occurred, showing U.S. Nay aircraft taking off from the USS Truman. 

The U.S. Naval Institute published an article stating that the Houthis attempted an attack on the USS Truman but said CENTCOM did not respond to its request for comment regarding the attacks.

An unidentified U.S. official told The Times of Israel that the Houthis did deploy drones and fired at least one missile in the attack on the vessel, which lasted over 12 hours. The official said the missile fell short and that all drones were intercepted by U.S. fighter aircraft. 

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said the campaign would continue until the Houthis relent.

"We will come after the Houthis until they stop shooting at our ships, and the Iranians better stay out of it," Hegseth told Fox News after the U.S. strikes on Saturday night. 

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Secretary of Defense Hegseth: “An era of PEACE THROUGH STRENGTH is back — The minute the Houthis say ‘we’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones,’ this campaign will end. But until then, it will be un-relenting.” pic.twitter.com/oTiKnlOb0P

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 16, 2025

Military sources familiar with the Houthi rebels in Yemen told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is associated with Hezbollah, that the Houthis are preparing for a much greater confrontation with the Americans. 

The group, which is officially known as Ansar Allah, said the previous U.S. airstrikes also targeted a command tower on the cargo ship 'Galaxy Leader,' which was captured by the group in November 2023. 

Following a second round of U.S. airstrikes on Sunday, Ansar Allah also announced it would begin targeting U.S. vessels passing through the waters off the Yemeni coast. 

“As long as the American enemy continues its aggression against our country, its ships, its aircraft carriers, and its entire naval fleet will be attacked with drones and missiles, and we will include it in the decision to ban shipping,” Houthi leader Muhammad Ali al Houthi announced. 

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Houthi leader: American commercial ships banned from Bab el-Mandeb and the Red Sea until U.S. ‘aggression’ ends.

I think it’s on… pic.twitter.com/rt6MJ4M6Vc

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 17, 2025

In Israel, the Air Force has raised its alert status over the possibility of missile and drone attacks by the Houthis. 

While the rebel group halted its attacks on Israel following the signing of the hostage-ceasefire agreement, it announced last week that it would resume strikes as long as Israel maintains a blockade on humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.