On March 15, following an order issued by President Donald Trump, the U.S. Armed Forces carried out a series of strikes in Yemen against ground targets belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi rebels. The spearhead of the operation was carried out by U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, which conducted a series of attacks using glide bombs and various types of guided munitions. Additionally, the launch of Tomahawk land-attack missiles from guided missile cruisers and destroyers deployed in the region was also reported.
The justification for the strikes was the recent attacks carried out by the Houthi rebels against merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The U.S. government conducted these precision strikes against targets in Yemen, aiming to deliver a “decisive and powerful” response.
Through his profile on the Truth social platform, President Trump stated: “Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft and targeted our troops and allies,” adding that the attacks carried out by the Houthis over the past year, in the context of the war between Hamas and Israel after the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, have cost “billions of dollars” and put lives at risk.
With this justification, and as part of U.S. Central Command’s area of operations, a series of significant strikes were carried out against Houthi-controlled targets in the city of Sana’a, the capital of the country, as well as in the northern region.
CENTCOM stated: “…initiated a series of operations consisting of precision strikes against Iranian-backed Houthi targets across Yemen to defend U.S. interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation.”
While no further details were provided, official images released showed that the majority of the airstrikes were carried out by F/A-18 Super Hornet multirole fighter jets deployed from the USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), armed with AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon glide bombs. There were also reports of attacks with GBU-31(V)4/B 2,000-pound bombs equipped with JDAM GPS guidance kits.
However, as reported by CENTCOM in subsequent releases, the attacks on Houthi ground targets were also carried out by U.S. Navy surface assets. Specifically, Tomahawk land-attack missiles were launched from Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruisers and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.
Finally, the U.S. government has stated that the attacks will continue in the coming days as part of new air offensives against the Iran-backed group. Meanwhile, Houthi spokesperson Nasr el-Din Amer stated that this escalation by the Trump administration would be met with a greater escalation, which would presumably translate into new attacks against maritime traffic in the region.
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