US warships shot down around a dozen drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi terrorists ‘well before’ they could pose a threat, a senior defence official revealed just hours after the rebels claimed to have mounted an attack.
American F-16 and F-18 fighter aircraft have shot down 11 drones fired by the terror group since President Donald Trump approved an order for air strikes over Yemen on Saturday night, Fox News reported.
The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the drones did not come close to the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, which has played a key role in the latest military action.
Tracking also showed at least one Houthi missile failed in flight and splashed down in the waters off Yemen.
The US military took no action because it was not deemed a threat, the official said.
News of the drones being disarmed comes in the wake of Houthi terrorists claiming to have attacked the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier – as well as several American warships – in the Red Sea.
The Iran-backed terror group said, without offering evidence, that they attacked the Truman and its warships with ballistic missiles and drones in response to US attacks.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said on Sunday: ‘The armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, using 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in a joint operation carried out by the missile force, Drone Air Force and the naval forces.’
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US warships shot down around a dozen drones fired by Yemen’s Houthi terrorists ‘well before’ they could pose a threat to US aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman and its warships in the Red Sea, an official has revealed
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American F-16 and F-18 fighter aircraft have shot down 11 drones fired by the terror group since President Donald Trump approved an order for air strikes over Yemen on Saturday night
Yemeni locals scour rubble as medics treat injured after US strikes
Several unnamed US defense officials dismissed the claims at the time and said they were not aware of any Houthi attack on the Truman.
The claims came after the first set of Trump’s airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed at least 31 people – which were triggered when the Houthis started raiding shipping vessels bound for the West.
America previously set up their aircraft carriers in the Red Sea, much to the ire of the terrorists who were attacking Israeli ships during the 15-month conflict in Gaza.
The Houthis claimed that America’s intense barrage of strikes killed children, which were carried out with British military support. They said 101 people were wounded.
President Trump vowed to ‘use overwhelming lethal force’ and ordered Iran to ‘immediately’ cut its support from the Yemeni terror group.
‘To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!’ he said.
The Houthis warned that the strikes ‘will not pass without response’, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the deaths and said Washington had ‘no authority’ to dictate its foreign policy.
A spokesperson for Iran’s foreign ministry, Esmaeil Baqaei ‘strongly condemned the brutal air strikes by the US’ in a later statement, denouncing them a ‘gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter’, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps vowed to retaliate against Trump’s strikes.
CENTCOM launches large-scale operation against Houthis in Yemen
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A spokesperson (pictured) for Yemen’s Houthi terrorists claimed to have attacked the US Harry Truman aircraft carrier earlier on Sunday – but US defence officials dismissed this
Smoke rises as U.S. airstrike hits Yemeni capital killing civilians
Trump’s National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said on Sunday that US airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen ‘took out’ multiple Houthi leaders.
‘This was an overwhelming response that actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out,’ Waltz said on ABC News.
Waltz had been asked by anchor Martha Raddatz about how the strikes by the Trump administration were different from those conducted during the Biden administration.
He said the difference was ‘going after the Houthi leadership’ and ‘holding Iran responsible.’
The Houthi Ansarollah website slammed what it called ‘US-British aggression’ and Washington’s ‘criminal brutality’.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which posted images of fighters and a bomb demolishing a building compound, said ‘precision strikes’ were launched to ‘defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation’.
‘Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation,’ the rebels’ political bureau said in a statement on their Al-Masirah TV station.
The rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the ‘axis of resistance’ of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the United States.
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Images from CENTCOM show US Air Force F/A-18 fighter aircraft taking off from an aircraft carrier at sea reportedly amidst operations launched against the Houthis
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The Houthis fired the drones as the first set of Donald Trump’s airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels killed at least 31 people
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Trump looks on as military strikes are launched against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping
US CentCom releases video of strikes on ‘Iran-backed Houthis’
They have launched scores of drone and missile attacks at ships passing Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Houthis had ‘attacked US warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023’.
The campaign crippled the vital route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a costly detour around southern Africa.
Palestinian group Hamas, which has long supported the Houthis, hit out on Saturday at the US strikes, branding them ‘a stark violation of international law and an assault on the country’s sovereignty and stability’.
After halting their attacks when Gaza’s ceasefire took effect in January, the Houthis announced on Tuesday that they would resume them until Israel lifts its blockade of aid to the shattered Palestinian territory.
Trump’s statement did not reference the dispute over Israel, but focused on previous Houthi attacks on merchant shipping.
‘To all Huthi [sic] terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!’ he said.