Just days after claiming to have carried out a missile strike on the United States Navy's Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), the Iranian-back Houthi rebels alleged that its most recent sortie even forced the carrier and her escorts to "flee" in response.

"This is the fifth time we have targeted the aircraft carrier since its arrival in the Red Sea," Houthi Brigadier General Yahya Saree told Yemen's al-Masirah television channel on Saturday evening.

"The operation achieved its goals successfully and forced the aircraft carrier to leave the theater of operations and flee to the far north of the Red Sea," Saree added, noting that the attack on the carrier was in response to Friday's airstrike carried out against the Houthi-controlled capital of Sana'a and Red Sea port city of Hudaydah.

Saree also vowed to keep up on the attacks on commercial shipping, which it has claimed is in response to the fighting in Gaza.

"Our operations in support of Gaza will continue until the aggression ends and the siege is lifted," the Houthi military official explained, noting Israel's current occupation of Gaza to destroy the Tehran-backed Hamas. Israel launched its invasion of Gaza in the days after the Palestinian group carried out the October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks that killed more than 1,200. Nearly 100 Israelis are still believed to be held hostage within Gaza.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) launched its first strikes of the New Year against Houthi positions last Wednesday. CENTCOM has not acknowledged the Houthi claims, but there is no indication that any U.S. warships have taken damage or suffered casualties.

U.S. Carriers Remain in the Region

The Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HSTCSG) has been operating in CENTCOM's area of responsibility since December 14. The warship departed Naval Air Station Norfolk in September of last year. Although it was announced it would be deployed to the Middle East, the HSTCSG first took part in joint NATO operations in the Arctic before heading to the Mediterranean and then transiting the Suez Canal.

As previously reported, the U.S. Navy has had to counter an ongoing misinformation campaign directed by the group. It claimed it had shot down the F/A-18 Super Hornet last month, but also made repeated allegations that it had struck ­and even seriously damaged­ U.S. carriers. It was last June that the militant group first alleged it had successfully carried out a missile and drone strike that seriously damaged USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in the Red Sea. The group further declared victory after the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) departed the region and returned to the United States in November.

Houthi Saber Rattling Continues

The Houthis will likely continue spreading misinformation about its "success" in the region. Mahdi al-Mashat, chairman of Yemen's Supreme Political Council, also claimed that the group's operations are being carried out in response to the U.S. support for the "criminal Zionist regime. Mashat further alleged that Israel was engaged in "genocide against the residents of the Gaza Strip," and vowed that attacks on shipping and the U.S. Navy would continue.

"This anti-Yemen aggression has so far resulted in a year of defeat and failure for the enemies, and a year of victory for the Yemeni people. What the Yemeni nation and armed forces have done over the past year is unprecedented and unparalleled in the history of fighting U.S. bullying," Mashat added. He further touted the group's capabilities.

"Our missile and drone units have developed new armament, such as Palestine-2 hypersonic missiles and Yafa drones. These new weapons have been able to bypass all of the Zionist regime's anti-air missile systems," Mashat suggested. "Yemen has now entered the club of few countries capable of producing hypersonic missiles. Only a small number of countries around the world have the ability to manufacture these missiles."

The capabilities of the Houthi's "Palestine" missiles have not been confirmed, but most Western experts do not believe the weapons can reach hypersonic speeds. It is also unlikely that the missiles were domestically produced, and it has been suspected of being of Iranian origin, although it is not clear when the militant group may have first received the ordnance.

The Associated Press reported last June that the group doesn't have the manufacturing capabilities to produce such "complicated missile and guidance systems locally," and added that "design elements on the missile resemble other missiles developed by Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. That includes one called the Fattah, or 'Conqueror' in Farsi."

While there has been speculation that Tehran, with Russian assistance, could have developed hypersonic missiles, it would be highly unlikely that such weapons would be provided to the Houthis at this point. Instead, any likelihood of the group having advanced missiles is similar to its boasts of hitting and damaging a U.S. warship—nothing more than wishful thinking.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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