A U.S. official has confirmed that a missile and drone attack launched by Yemen’s Houthi group in retaliation for recent American airstrikes failed to hit any U.S. Navy vessels in the Red Sea.
The Houthis claimed on Sunday to have fired 18 ballistic missiles and a drone at the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier group during two separate attacks over the past 24 hours.
The group said the operation “succeeded in thwarting a hostile attack the enemy was preparing to launch against our country.”
However, the U.S. official told ABC News that only 11 drones and one ballistic missile were actually fired, none of which posed a threat to American ships.
According to the official, all drones were intercepted, 10 by Air Force fighter jets and one by Navy aircraft, while the ballistic missile fell far short of the target and was not intercepted.
The attempted strike followed a new wave of U.S. airstrikes in Yemen launched on Saturday. President Donald Trump described the operation as “decisive and powerful military action” aimed at the Iranian-backed Houthi group.
The group has continued to target Western-linked shipping and launch attacks into Israel since late 2022 in protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.
“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft and drones,” Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on March 15. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”
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The U.S. official also confirmed that dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen, including missile sites, radar systems, and drone and air defense infrastructure, were struck during the operation. The official described the strikes as an opening salvo aimed at delivering a strong message to Iran.
Tribune Online reports that the Houthi health ministry claimed that 53 were killed, including five children, following a wave of US airstrikes on Yemen.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, President Trump said he was not concerned about potential retaliation over the strikes.
National security adviser Mike Waltz told ABC’s This Week that the operation was “an overwhelming response that actually targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out. And the difference here is, one, going after the Houthi leadership, and two, holding Iran responsible.”
In a statement issued Sunday, the Houthis said they will “continue to ban the passage of Israeli ships through the zone of operations until the blockade on the Gaza Strip is lifted.”
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