Houthis Claim "Hours-Long" Exchange of Fire With U.S. Carrier Strike Group

 

On Monday, Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed that they had engaged in an hours-long exchange of fire with U.S. Navy forces in the Red Sea, disrupting American strikes on Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen. The claims could not be confirmed, but Houthi forces have exaggerated their attempted attacks in the past. 

Houthi forces claimed to have targeted "several enemy destroyers, in addition to the aircraft carrier Truman," using a combination of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones.

"This combat, the second in 24 hours, lasted for several hours, during which an enemy air attack against our country was thwarted," said Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree. 

Saree also claimed that Houthi missile forces had targeted Israel's Ben Gurion Airport with another two ballistic missiles, the latest in a series of attempted attacks on Israeli territory. 

The Truman and other assets in the Mideast have been carrying out heavy strikes on Houthi positions since March 15. U.S. national security leaders have told media that multiple Houthi decisionmakers have been killed in the airstrikes, and that the toll on the group's military capabilities has been substantial. "We've hit their headquarters," National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told media on Sunday. "We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities."

Saudi outlet Al-Hadath reports that another Houthi leader was killed on Sunday night. Houthi media sources have reported an airstrike on a residential block in Sanaa, resulting in a claimed casualty count of one dead and 15 wounded. 

Both sides are working on improving operational security and comms. According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Houthi leaders claim to have improved the encryption and security of their communications systems since the start of the strikes. U.S. officials are having similar discussions after the U.S. defense leadership team accidentally leaked detailed Yemen war plans to a journalist on a commercial messaging app.