American fighter jets shot down multiple Houthi drones fired from Yemen over several hours Sunday. The interceptions over the Red Sea mark the first time in more than two months that Houthis targeted U.S. Navy ships and come a day after the Truman Carrier Strike Group bombed several targets inside Yemen.
The Houthis launched 11 drones and one ballistic missile at the USS Harry S. Truman and the supporting ships of its carrier strike group, a U.S. official with knowledge of the incident told Task & Purpose. The engagements started shortly after midnight local time on Sunday, March 16 and lasted approximately 12 hours. All of the drones were shot down by U.S. Air Force jets over the Red Sea.
The ballistic missile splashed into the water, and was not on a trajectory to threaten the Navy ships, the U.S. official said. Houthi spokesmen first announced the attack on the Truman carrier strike group, initially claiming to have fired 18 missiles and a single drone.
The attack on the Truman Carrier Strike Group comes a day after the Navy carried out several strikes on Houthi targets in western Yemen. The strikes, including in the capital city of Sana’a, killed at least 98 people according to local health officials.
The Houthi’s leader, Abdel-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised address that if the United States “continue[s] their aggression, we will continue the escalation.” U.S. officials have in turn said they will continue to go after the group until it stops targeting ships.
The failed attack on the Truman comes hours after Navy ships and fighter jets bombed multiple targets in Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, including in th capital of Sana’a. Those strikes were ordered after Houthi leadership said earlier last week it would resume attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in response to an Israeli blockade on aid coming into Gaza. Those attacks, and in return U.S. intercept missions, had stopped in January following the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the war in Gaza.
Since the fall of 2023, Navy ships have intercepted dozens of drones and missiles fired from Yemen towards commercial and military vessels in nearby waterways. The attacks started in response to the Israeli war in Gaza. Since Oct. 2003, the U.S. Navy fired hundreds of munitions in anti-air operations or in targeting Houthi launch and radar sites.
The Truma Carrier Strike Group entered the Red Sea in December last year, taking the lead on the last operations against Houthi forces before the January ceasefire in Gaza led to a halt in missile and drone launches from Yemen. The Navy ships saw intense fighting, including carrying out multiple strikes inside Yemen at the end of 2024 and fending off barrages of drones and missiles over the waters of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. In one instance on Dec. 22, while shooting down drones, the USS Gettysburg shot down a F/A-18F fighter jet from Strike Fighter Squadron 11 (VFA-11) by mistake. Both pilots were recovered, with one suffering minor injuries.