Sanaa, Yemen – March 26, 2025 – Yemen’s Houthi rebels have claimed responsibility for a series of alleged attacks targeting U.S. naval vessels in the Red Sea, including the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to a report by Fox News on March 25, 2025. The Iran-backed group stated that the strikes were carried out in retaliation for recent U.S. military operations against Houthi targets in Yemen, escalating tensions in an already volatile region.
The Houthis, who control significant portions of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, asserted that their forces launched missiles and drones at the Truman and accompanying U.S. warships. Houthi military spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e claimed the attacks sparked “hours-long clashes” with American forces, though no concrete evidence was provided to substantiate these assertions. The U.S. military has not officially confirmed the claims but reported earlier this month that it successfully intercepted several Houthi drones in the Red Sea, suggesting ongoing defensive operations in the area.
The alleged strikes follow a wave of U.S. airstrikes on Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen, ordered by President Donald Trump on March 15, 2025. Those operations, which targeted radar systems, missile launchers, and command facilities, were intended to curb the Houthis’ ability to disrupt international shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The U.S. Department of Defense stated that the strikes were a direct response to the Houthis’ “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism” against American and commercial vessels. Houthi officials reported that the U.S. attacks killed at least 53 people, including civilians, prompting vows of further retaliation.
The Houthis’ latest claims come amid heightened regional friction, exacerbated by a leaked incident involving Trump administration officials. Earlier this month, senior officials, including National Security Advisor Michael Waltz and Vice President JD Vance, inadvertently included The Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg in a Signal group chat titled “Houthi PC Small Group.” The chat, which discussed plans for the March 15 strikes, has been widely criticized as a breach of national security protocols, raising questions about the administration’s operational secrecy.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has remained tight-lipped about the specifics of the alleged Houthi attacks on the Truman and other ships. However, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh recently dismissed similar Houthi claims, stating on January 8, 2025, that no U.S. Navy ships, including the Truman, had been struck. “We’re not going to take every capability off the map,” Singh said, emphasizing that U.S. forces would continue to degrade Houthi military assets to ensure the safety of maritime traffic.
The Red Sea, a critical artery for global trade, has been a focal point of Houthi aggression since late 2023, when the group began targeting ships in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israel-Hamas conflict. While a ceasefire in Gaza, effective since January 19, 2025, temporarily reduced Houthi maritime attacks, the group resumed its campaign earlier this month, citing Israel’s suspension of humanitarian aid to Gaza as justification. The Houthis have since expanded their targets to include U.S. and British vessels, claiming over 100 attacks on shipping and military assets in the region since October 2023.
Analysts warn that the Houthis’ latest claims, whether substantiated or not, signal a potential escalation in their conflict with the United States. Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, described the Houthis as a “terror-militia” exploiting regional crises with Iranian support. “Their ambiguity on continuing maritime attacks functions as a sword of Damocles over the incoming Trump administration,” he told USNI News in January.
As of March 26, 2025, the situation remains fluid, with the U.S. vowing “unrelenting” strikes until the Houthis cease their assaults on shipping and American assets. President Trump has also issued stern warnings to Iran, the Houthis’ primary benefactor, stating on social media that Tehran would be held “fully accountable” for any further aggression. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander, Hossein Salami, denied direct involvement in the Houthis’ actions, asserting that the group makes its own decisions.
With the Red Sea’s stability hanging in the balance, the international community watches closely as this latest chapter in the U.S.-Houthi confrontation unfolds.
