Houthis Claim Attack on USS Harry S. Truman in Red Sea, Vow to Target U.S. Cargo Ships (video)

Sana’a, March 16, 2025 – Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility on Sunday for an attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, asserting they fired 18 missiles and a drone. The strike, unconfirmed by the U.S. as of 2:23 PM PDT, comes as retaliation for American airstrikes on Saturday that killed at least 31 people, including children, according to Houthi reports, and targeted key rebel leaders, per U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz.

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? ناطق صنعاء اليمن العميد يحيى سريع:

العدو الأمريكي شن عدوانا سافرا على بلدنا بأكثر من 47 غارة استهدفت العاصمة صنعاء و7 محافظات، وارتكب عددا من المجازر وأدى عدوانه إلى استشهاد وجرح العشرات في حصيلة غير نهائية.

_ ردا على العدوان نفذنا عملية عسكرية… pic.twitter.com/QvHXl5I0K8 — الصين بالعربية (@mog_china) March 16, 2025

Escalation and Houthi Retaliation

Houthi leader Abdel Malek al-Houthi, in a televised address, vowed to target American merchant vessels in the Red Sea as long as U.S. “aggression” persists. He called for “millions” of Yemenis to protest Monday against the U.S. strikes, which hit Sana’a, Saada, and Radaa, leaving a trail of devastation captured in Houthi media footage of wounded children and women in hospital emergency rooms. “We’ll respond to escalation with escalation,” al-Houthi warned Saturday, a pledge echoed in Sunday’s claimed assault on the Truman.

Posts on X from @globalintel_ and @almouslime corroborate the Houthi narrative, detailing the use of 18 ballistic missiles and a drone against the carrier strike group. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which launched Saturday’s “precision strikes” to protect American interests and navigation freedom, has not yet acknowledged the attack, though it aligns with prior Houthi claims—seven against the Truman since January, per USNI News.

U.S. Strikes and Trump’s Warning

President Donald Trump, announcing the first Yemen strikes of his second term on Saturday, promised “hell” for the “Houthi terrorists” and demanded Iran halt its support, threatening full accountability. “We’ll use overwhelming lethal force until our goal is achieved,” he declared on Truth Social, blaming Biden’s “pathetic” response for emboldening the Houthis. CENTCOM videos showed F/A-18 jets launching from the Truman and a bomb obliterating a Houthi complex, with Waltz confirming the deaths of “several key Houthi leaders” in a Sunday briefing, adding, “Too much is too much” for Iran.

The Pentagon reports 174 Houthi attacks on U.S. warships and 145 on commercial vessels since 2023, disrupting the Red Sea—a vital artery for global trade. Saturday’s operation, the first major U.S. action since a January Gaza truce paused Houthi maritime assaults, followed their March 11 threat to resume attacks after Israel blocked Gaza aid.

Regional and International Reactions

Iran condemned the U.S. strikes as “barbaric,” rejecting Trump’s threats, while Hamas and Hezbollah—fellow “Axis of Resistance” members—denounced the raids. The UN urged both sides to cease military activity, a call mirrored by Russia’s Sergei Lavrov in a Sunday call with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who insisted Houthi attacks on American ships “won’t be tolerated.” Lavrov countered that all parties should avoid force.

In Sana’a, resident Malik, 43, described Saturday’s bombardment as “terrifying,” forcing him to recite the Shahada with his crying children in his arms—his first time fearing imminent death in Yemen’s decade-long war. The conflict, pitting the Houthis against a Saudi-backed government since 2014, has killed hundreds of thousands and triggered a dire humanitarian crisis for Yemen’s 38 million people, per UN estimates.

Uncertain Next Steps

The Houthi claim remains unverified, with no U.S. damage reports surfacing. Their history of exaggerated claims—six prior Truman attacks since December 2024, per Maritime Executive—casts doubt, though their Red Sea disruptions are undeniable, sinking ships like the Rubymar in 2024 (VOA News). As Trump’s nuclear talks with Iran falter and CENTCOM vows sustained pressure, this escalation risks further destabilizing a region already reeling from war and economic fallout, with global shipping still rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope.