Red Sea aboard the USS Eisenhower — More than 20 aircraft roared off the deck one after another, including Navy F/A-18 fighters, E/A18 Growler radar jammers, E2 Hawkeye reconnaissance planes, helicopters and tankers. . The aircraft carrier was on Saturday night to carry out a joint U.S.-British strike against the Iranian-backed Houthis.
It was the second night in a row that Eisenhower aircraft targeted Yemen's Houthi militants attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea. Earlier in the day, the nearby destroyer USS Gravely fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Houthis.
The crew of another nearby destroyer, the USS Mason, demonstrated the high-speed decision-making needed to shoot down an incoming Houthi missile before it could hit a cargo ship or a U.S. warship.
NBC News is currently the only news organization affiliated with the U.S. Navy conducting attacks in the Red Sea.
Despite the threat of drones and ballistic missiles from the Houthis, adrenaline and morale appeared to be high among the crews of both ships. As Eisenhower, Mason, and their accompanying warships patrol the area, the weather is windy and warm, with the bright sun reflecting off the rippling waters around them.
U.S. Central Command said in a statement Saturday that U.S. and British forces “conducted strikes against 36 Houthi targets in 13 locations” in Yemen. The attack also involved “multiple underground storage facilities, command and control, missile systems, unmanned aircraft storage and operations facilities, radar, and helicopters.”
Yemen-based Houthi militants have attacked around 30 cargo ships sailing in the Red Sea since November 19. It is estimated that 12% of the world's shipping vessels pass through this strategic waterway every day.
Last month, Maersk and other shipping giants announced a temporary suspension of operations in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, making it more time-consuming and expensive to deliver goods by ship. If the Houthi attacks continue, they could accelerate U.S. consumer price increases as the 2024 elections approach.
Houthi leaders on Saturday dismissed the US and UK attacks and vowed to continue their Red Sea offensive until Israel ends its military operation in Gaza.
Houthi political leader Mohammed al-Buhaiti said: “Our military operations against the Zionist organization will continue until the invasion of Gaza stops.” “We escalate upon escalation. Victory comes only from God.”
U.S. officials declined to comment on the effectiveness of Saturday's airstrikes in Yemen. On Friday, the carrier's F/A-18 aircraft intercepted several drones that Houthi forces were preparing to launch, military officials told NBC News.
The Eisenhower is a 1,000-foot-long, 100,000-ton Nimitz-class aircraft carrier with a crew of approximately 5,000 people and extensive aircraft hangars, mess halls, and sleeping quarters that make it look like a floating city. Launched in 1975, the aircraft carrier has since orbited the globe and deployed during the Iran Hostage Crisis, Operation Desert Storm, and other conflicts and crises.
U.S. officials said Saturday's airstrike in Yemen comes after U.S. military planes were launched in Iraq and Syria on Friday after killing three U.S. soldiers and wounding dozens at a U.S. outpost in Jordan. He said that this was different from the retaliatory air strikes he carried out.
Sabrina Singh, deputy spokeswoman for the Pentagon, vowed that the United States would continue its efforts to weaken Houthi forces and protect shipping in the Red Sea. “We're going to hold accountable the groups that are attacking our troops,” he said on MSNBC. “And of course we will also protect commercial vessels passing through the Red Sea region.”
Experts in the region have warned that American airstrikes are unlikely to be able to destroy all the ballistic missiles and drones that Iran supplies to Yemen's Houthi forces. The U.S. military is playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Houthis, as there are multiple locations in Yemen where weapons are hidden, including deep underground storage areas.
After American jets returned safely to the Eisenhower on Saturday, it appeared that more Houthi engagements were in store for the carrier and its crew.
Courtney Kube reported from the USS Eisenhower and Dan De Ruth reported from Washington.
