
The Houthis announced that they targeted the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group on Friday, casting doubt on whether the Yemen-based terrorist group would stop its attacks on ships in the Red Sea following a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas.
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi alluded to stopping the group’s actions in the Red Sea during a Thursday speech, when he said that the Houthis will monitor the ceasefire, which begins Sunday, and will resume the attacks if Israel violates the ceasefire.
However, during a Friday speech, Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e announced missiles attacks on Israel and drone strikes on the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, according to a translation of the speech.
U.S. Central Command has not responded to the claims of an attack on the carrier strike group. This is the seventh time that the Houthis have claimed to attack the U.S. formation. Despite the Houthis touting their success at attacking the U.S. Navy, none of the attacks have appeared to affect the strike group.
It’s unclear whether the Houthis will cease their actions against Israel and the Red Sea come Sunday, when the ceasefire actually begins its first phase. In his speech, al-Houthi said that if Israel continues its military actions in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis will continue their own attacks. There have been multiple reports that Israel continues to bomb Gaza in the days leading up to the ceasefire’s start.
Al-Houthi spent the majority of his speech, shared on X, claiming that the ceasefire is a sign of failure for both Israel and the United States, saying that Israel failed in its goal of destroying Gaza. Al-Houthi often linked the Israeli actions since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Southern Israel to the U.S., saying the U.S. enabled Israel, according to a translated version of the speech. No one expected the Houthi actions in regards to the Red Sea or strikes on Israel, al-Houthi said.
The Houthis first got involved in the conflict between Israel and Hamas on Oct. 19, 2023, when it fired missiles toward Israel. Shortly after transiting the Suez Canal, USS Carney (DDG-64) shot down cruise missiles and drones launched by the Houthis.
About a month later, the Houthis began firing at ships, including USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116). That began the Houthi campaign against commercial ships in the region.
The Houthis started by attacking any ships that were linked to Israel, mainly through ownership or management. It expanded to American and British ships after the U.S. and U.K., with support of partner nations, launched strikes against the Houthis.
The Houthis then declared they would shoot at any ship that visited Israel, ultimately adding any ship that was linked to supplying Israel with any goods.
The fifth Houthi phase was targeting Israel, which saw the Yemen-based group shoot less at ships and more at Israel. However, in the past couple of weeks, the Houthis have claimed they attacked the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group six times. Central Command has not responded to the claims, but has posted pictures of the strike group exercising or operating in the Red Sea.
The Houthis used 1,255 ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles and drones, in addition to small boats, in their actions against Red Sea shipping and Israel, al-Houthi said.
Disinformation has been a key part of the Houthi messaging, which is often shared on X. In his speech, al-Houthi said that the U.S. Navy was able to intercept many of the group’s weapons but now it has been expelled from the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Al-Houthi claimed the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which safely returned from deployment, was expelled and said the Houthis are now chasing out the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group. There is no indication that these claims are true.
The Houthis are acting like they have been tasked with enforcing and monitoring the ceasefire, Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, told USNI News.
“They are a terror-militia that has taken advantage of a regional crisis and attacked vessels in the Red Sea over 100 times using Iran-provided weapons,” Taleblu said. “To that end, their declaration to resume attacks on Israel, as well as the ambiguity in their stance on continuing maritime attacks, should the ceasefire in their view be broken, is likely to function as a sword of Damocles that the incoming Trump administration will have to conten[d] with.”
The Houthis are committed to the liberation of Palestine from Israel, al-Houthi said in his speech, and will offer continued support toward that goal.