Houthis vow to target US naval vessels
The de facto Yemeni authorities have pledged to retaliate against the ongoing deadly bombing campaign. Reports indicate that the U.S. has initiated new airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah following a passionate speech by Houthi leader...
TroibNews 
The de facto Yemeni authorities have pledged to retaliate against the ongoing deadly bombing campaign.
Reports indicate that the U.S. has initiated new airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah following a passionate speech by Houthi leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who condemned the attacks and threatened direct military action against American naval forces.
President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to execute a “decisive and powerful” operation on Saturday, aimed at dismantling the Houthi leadership and disrupting their capacity to threaten crucial shipping routes in the area. The first wave of attacks overnight resulted in at least 53 fatalities, including women and children, with nearly 100 others injured, as reported by Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry.
In his Sunday address, al-Houthi called on the Yemeni populace to rally against the American “escalation with escalation,” asserting that Yemen would not bow to pressure. He stated, “The American aircraft carrier and warships will be our target, and the decision to ban navigation will include the US as long as it continues its aggression.”
The Houthis claimed to have launched a series of 18 ballistic and cruise missiles, alongside drones, targeting the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the northern Red Sea earlier that Sunday.
A senior U.S. defense official informed Fox News that around a dozen attack drones were intercepted and neutralized before they could pose a significant threat to the carrier group, leaving the Truman and its associated vessels unharmed.
The Ansar Allah movement, widely known as the Houthis, has maintained control over significant portions of war-torn Yemen since the mid-2010s. The group executed numerous strikes on international shipping assets in late 2023 as part of a campaign in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Initially targeting only Israeli-linked maritime traffic, the Houthis later broadened their focus to include American and British military and commercial vessels following a series of joint U.S.-U.K. strikes on Yemen.
Their campaign was paused in January after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a fragile, U.S.-mediated ceasefire. However, the group renewed their vow to attack Israeli ships last week, accusing Israel of disregarding the terms of the agreement and “starving” the people of Gaza.
The latest announcement extends the group’s list of potential targets to include U.S. military vessels—though not commercial ships. The Houthis have recently been reclassified as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
On Sunday night, the U.S. reportedly conducted another round of strikes on Hodeidah, a city that houses an international airport and three critical ports, according to Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV and various local media outlets.
Without specifying targets in the recent operations, U.S. Central Command confirmed that its forces “continue operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists.” Washington has signaled that it plans to continue its campaign until the Houthi threat has been neutralized.
“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 unrelenting,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remarked during an appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this article for TROIB News
Reports indicate that the U.S. has initiated new airstrikes on the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah following a passionate speech by Houthi leader Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi, who condemned the attacks and threatened direct military action against American naval forces.
President Donald Trump instructed the Pentagon to execute a “decisive and powerful” operation on Saturday, aimed at dismantling the Houthi leadership and disrupting their capacity to threaten crucial shipping routes in the area. The first wave of attacks overnight resulted in at least 53 fatalities, including women and children, with nearly 100 others injured, as reported by Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry.
In his Sunday address, al-Houthi called on the Yemeni populace to rally against the American “escalation with escalation,” asserting that Yemen would not bow to pressure. He stated, “The American aircraft carrier and warships will be our target, and the decision to ban navigation will include the US as long as it continues its aggression.”
The Houthis claimed to have launched a series of 18 ballistic and cruise missiles, alongside drones, targeting the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the northern Red Sea earlier that Sunday.
A senior U.S. defense official informed Fox News that around a dozen attack drones were intercepted and neutralized before they could pose a significant threat to the carrier group, leaving the Truman and its associated vessels unharmed.
The Ansar Allah movement, widely known as the Houthis, has maintained control over significant portions of war-torn Yemen since the mid-2010s. The group executed numerous strikes on international shipping assets in late 2023 as part of a campaign in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Initially targeting only Israeli-linked maritime traffic, the Houthis later broadened their focus to include American and British military and commercial vessels following a series of joint U.S.-U.K. strikes on Yemen.
Their campaign was paused in January after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a fragile, U.S.-mediated ceasefire. However, the group renewed their vow to attack Israeli ships last week, accusing Israel of disregarding the terms of the agreement and “starving” the people of Gaza.
The latest announcement extends the group’s list of potential targets to include U.S. military vessels—though not commercial ships. The Houthis have recently been reclassified as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration.
On Sunday night, the U.S. reportedly conducted another round of strikes on Hodeidah, a city that houses an international airport and three critical ports, according to Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV and various local media outlets.
Without specifying targets in the recent operations, U.S. Central Command confirmed that its forces “continue operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists.” Washington has signaled that it plans to continue its campaign until the Houthi threat has been neutralized.
“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 unrelenting,” Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth remarked during an appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures.
Lucas Dupont contributed to this article for TROIB News
