U.S. Navy ships and aircraft carried out strikes on more than a dozen Houthi sites in Yemen, including inside the capital city of Sana’a, over the last two days. U.S. Central Command announced the attacks, which are the first major operations in and around Yemen since Dec. 22, when the guided-missile cruiser the USS Gettysburg accidentally shot down an F/A18F fighter during a nighttime fight.
“On Dec. 30 and 31, U.S. Navy ships and aircraft targeted a Houthi command and control facility and advanced conventional weapon (ACW) production and storage facilities that included missiles and uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV),” CENTCOM said in a statement. “These facilities were used in Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”
Houthi-controlled television in Yemen reported that there were 12 air raids in total on Sana’a. CENTCOM did not specify what units or ships took part in the operation. The USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, which includes Carrier Air Wing 1, is operating in the Red Sea.
During that two-day period U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force aircraft also intercepted multiple cruise missiles and drones launched over the Red Sea. It’s unclear what the target for those munitions was.
Notably CENTCOM’s announcement specified that there “were no injuries or damage to U.S. personnel or equipment in either incident.” On Dec. 22, during a previous two-day bombing campaign, the USS Gettysburg shot down a F/A-18F fighter jet with Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 in an accidental friendly fire incident. An SM-2 missile hit the jet, but the two onboard were able to eject beforehand. CENTCOM is investigating the accident.
The U.S. and allied partners have intercepted Houthi drones and missiles since October 2023, but began larger bombing campaigns targeting Houthi military sites inside Yemen in January. Despite months of targeted attacks that are “part of CENTCOM’s efforts to degrade Iran-backed Houthi efforts to threaten regional partners and military and merchant vessels in the region,” as the command says, the Houthi movement has been able to maintain offensive capabilities, including recent ballistic missile attacks on Israel. One on Dec. 26 saw the U.S. Army fire the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense or THAAD system in combat for the first time. The THAAD system and soldiers were deployed to Israel in October.
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