American forces bombed multiple sites in Yemen, the first such operation against the Houthi movement in more than three months. The action came after the Yemeni nationalist group, which controls much of the country, said it would resume attacks on Israel ships.
It was the first airstrike against the Houthis ordered by the Trump administration. President Donald Trump announced the operation in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, saying that he ordered “decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.” His statement did not specify how many targets were hit, or where inside Yemen. It’s also unclear what part of the U.S. military carried out the airstrikes. Yemen’s health ministry reported nine people injured in strikes in the capital city of Sana’a, per al-Jazeera.
The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is currently in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. U.S. Central Command, which has previously announced operations and details on strikes against Houthi targets, has not shared any details as of press time and did not immediately respond for comment.
The attack comes after several weeks of peace in waters around Yemen. On Tuesday, Houthi leaders said the group would begin attacking ships in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait after Israel cut off the flow of aid into Gaza on March 2. On March 7, the group gave a four-day deadline for Israel to end its blockade and allow aid into the Palestinian territory or face a renewal in attacks.
The group began attacking commercial ships in the waters around Yemen in October 2023, following the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war. Houthi leadership promised to cut off commercial transit in the waters around Yemen until the war ended. Very quickly the U.S. military began intervening, shooting down Houthi drones and missiles in flight and targeting radar and launch sites. The dozens of incidents led the Navy to engage in its most intense battle since World War II and spend more than $1 billion in munitions. That included approximately 200 of the Navy’s Standard Missiles. The price and intensity of the fighting led to the Navy switching to guns. The anti-air fight saw intense aerial combat and in one anti-air engagement in December a Navy ship accidentally shot down an American F/A-18F.
Throughout 2024 the U.S. Navy and coalition partners have carried out large-scale airstrikes on Houthi-controlled parts of the country, including several on the capital city of Sana’a. One of the most recent was at the end of December, when the Truman Carrier Strike Group bombed more than a dozen sites.
This is a developing story.