Latest news with #HouthiRegime
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
‘We didn't just deploy. We delivered': USS Harry S. Truman strike group returns home to Norfolk
NORFOLK — After nearly nine months at sea, sailors aboard the USS Harry S. Truman and its strike group look forward to fast food and home-cooked meals, birthday celebrations and trips across the country now that they're back on land. Cheers reverberated and happy tears flowed Sunday as thousands gathered to welcome home sailors from a deployment mostly spent near the Red Sea in active combat. The strike group that returned over the weekend to Naval Station Norfolk includes the aircraft carrier Truman, cruiser USS Gettysburg and destroyer USS Stout. Family members and loved ones had plenty of reasons to be nervous during this deployment. The Truman spent at least five of the eight months defending merchant ships and military vessels and carrying out missile strikes against the Houthi regime in Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Along the way, the Truman lost three fighter jets, collided with a cargo ship and brought aboard a new commanding officer. It was 'unique' — even for seasoned sailors such as Rear Adm. Sean Bailey, commander of the Truman carrier strike group. 'From the high north to the Red Sea, our strike group safeguarded America's national security interests and maintained the U.S. Navy's maritime dominance,' Bailey said during a news conference Sunday. 'It was certainly a long, challenging deployment across the board and pretty unique for my entire career as well.' Bailey said those incidents are being investigated and will serve as lessons in the future. The strike group also worked with Africa Command to conduct an airstrike that delivered more than 120,000 pounds of munitions against ISIS Somalia operatives, 'demonstrating that we are the world's strongest and most lethal fighting force,' Bailey said. 'We didn't just deploy. We delivered,' he said. It was the ninth deployment for Chief Warrant Officer Travis Rivers, who was welcomed home by his wife, Latoya Rivers, and children Travis and Troi. Latoya Rivers said he'd soon get to enjoy a big home-cooked meal — potentially his favorite of ox tails and yellow rice. And he'll get to celebrate Troi's 16th birthday this week, and catch up on movies with Travis, like the recently released 'Thunderbolts.' 'Even with everything going on, we knew that we were protected,' Latoya Rivers said. 'We trust the U.S. Navy and we trust God as well.' The family said it did its best to detach from the news during the deployment to ease their worry, and that it was particularly challenging since it was 'out of our control.' 'It was worth it and something that needed to be done,' Travis Rivers said about the deployment. 'It was hard at times but we came together as a team and we got through it.' Meanwhile, Cryptologic Technician DeJour Glasgow made a special request to stop by McDonald's for three McChickens and large fries following his first deployment, his mother said. Glasgow will get to celebrate his birthday and move in with girlfriend Adrianna Waring, who is also in the Navy and was deployed in Bahrain before the Truman's departure. His brother, Delahn Glasgow, also is in the Navy, and both were able to pass along advice about the 'stressful environment.' 'It was so stressful,' said his mother, Angela Thomas. 'I tried not to watch the news as much but I had to follow it on Facebook. Today is like a joy.' Debbie and Richard Johnston drove more than 1,200 miles from Heavener, Oklahoma, to welcome their son, Lt. Brandon Dedmon, who spent more than two decades with the Air Force before transferring to the Navy last year. Around a dozen family members showed up for Petty Officer Andrea Mosquera, on her first deployment. She said she's ready for a return to her native California. Capt. Chris Hill, who took command of the Truman aircraft carrier in February after the collision, said the return home from this deployment was 'absolutely eye watering.' Hill is the commanding officer of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier, which completed a deployment in the Red Sea last year. 'The crew operated on the front lines, thwarting numerous attacks, and never gave up the fight,' Hill said. Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133,
LBCI
14-05-2025
- Politics
- LBCI
Israel's military warns Yemenis away from Houthi-held ports
Israel's military on Wednesday told Yemenis to stay away from three Houthi-controlled ports, a warning that signalled it could target the sites after intercepting a missile fired by the rebels. "Due to the use of sea ports by the terrorist Houthi regime... we urge all people present in these ports to evacuate and stay away from them for your safety until further notice," military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X, mentioning the Yemeni ports of Hodeida, Ras Issa and Salif. AFP
The National
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The National
Israel strikes Yemen's Sanaa airport in response to Houthi attack
Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it had attacked Houthi targets in Yemen, including the airport in Sanaa and several power stations in the area, in response to a missile attack on the main airport near Tel Aviv on Sunday. The Israeli military said: 'A short while ago, fighter jets struck and dismantled Houthi terrorist infrastructure at the main airport in Sanaa, fully disabling the airport. 'The strike was carried out in response to the attack launched by the Houthi terrorist regime against Ben Gurion Airport. Flight runways, aircraft, and infrastructure at the airport were struck.' The Houthi-run Health Ministry said that three people were killed and 38 injured in the strikes. The Houthi political bureau said that the Israeli 'aggression will not pass without a response, and Yemen will not be discouraged from its stance in support of Gaza'. Israel earlier warned residents near Sanaa airport area to leave. 'Urgent warning to all those present in the Sanaa International Airport area … We call on you to evacuate the airport area immediately and warn everyone present around you of the need to evacuate this area immediately,' the military's Arabic-language spokesman Lt Col Avichay Adraee said on X. 'Failure to leave and stay away from the area puts you at risk.' Israeli television showed thick black plumes of smoke rising above the skyline of Sanaa. Social media video purported to show several strikes, with more smoke rising as the thumps of the blasts echoed against the surrounding mountains. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said following the strikes, 'I have said many times that whoever attacks the State of Israel – let his blood be on his head.' 'Yesterday, I said that the attack by the Houthi will be answered not with 'a blow and we are done' – but with 'blows'. So, yesterday, we dealt a blow, a heavy blow to the port of Hodeidah. Today, our planes attacked the airport in Sanaa, the airport that enables the terrorist army and the air entry into the terrorist state, which enables the firing of missiles against us,' he said in a statement. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Iran would 'bear the full consequences' for any attack by its Houthi allies. 'This is … a warning to the head of the Iranian octopus: You are directly responsible for any attack by the Houthi arm of the octopus against the State of Israel – and you will bear the full consequences,' Mr Katz said. The Houthis on Sunday launched a missile that struck an access road near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, briefly halting flights and commuter traffic. At least eight people were injured. It was the first time a missile struck the grounds of Israel's main airport since the October 2023 start of the war in Gaza. While most missiles launched by the Houthis have been intercepted, some have penetrated Israel's missile defence systems, causing damage. In response to Sunday's attack, Israel attacked Yemen's port of Hodeidah on Monday. The Houthi rebel group on Tuesday said four people were killed and 39 wounded in Monday's strikes on Hodeidah. The Israeli army said in a statement that it had attacked Houthi 'terrorist targets' in Hodeidah and its vicinity. The Houthis shut down the area around the port and cement factory following the strikes, three sources said. They said the extent of the damage at the port was unknown, but the intensity of the strikes and fire caused severe damage to the container berth. The port is the second-largest in the Red Sea after Aden and is the entry point for about 80 per cent of Yemen's food imports. Israel has repeatedly launched strikes against the rebels in Yemen. It struck Hodeidah and its oil infrastructure in July after a Houthi drone attack killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv. In September, Israel struck Hodeidah again, killing at least four people after a missile targeted Ben Gurion Airport as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning to the country. In December, Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Hodeidah. The Yemeni group resumed its attacks on Israel and shipping lanes following a brief suspension after the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel in Gaza ended. The Houthis, who control Yemen, have been firing at Israel and shipping in the Red Sea since the beginning of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians. A Houthi source told The National that support for Gaza, Lebanon and Syria will continue, and the group will continue to impose a ban on Israeli air space. 'The solution lies with the Americans to force Israel to cease fire,' the source said, adding that 'the strikes will not deter the Yemenis from their support for Gaza'. 'Israel cannot attack Yemen without air support from the American and British aggression forces,' the source said.
The Independent
06-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Israel bombard Yemen's biggest airport and capital city in response to Tel Aviv attack
Israel has launched attacks on Yemen's largest airport as well as key infrastructure in the capital of Sanaa in a second day of retaliatory action against the Houthi rebel group. A senior member of the Israeli Defence Force said that the Air Force attacked and destroyed a Houthi base at Sanaa International Airport, completely shutting the facility down. The Israeli military also struck other targets around the Yemeni capital, following an attack on the Hodeidah Port on Monday. Posting images from a meeting at the Air Force Base in Kirya on Monday evening, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: 'We will continue to act forcefully against any threat to the state of Israel.' Israeli Defence Force Colonel Avichay Adraee said the strikes were in retaliation for a Houthi attack on Tel Aviv Airport on Sunday. 'The terrorist Houthi regime uses the airport, like the Hodeidah port that was attacked yesterday, to transport weapons and activists, and it is continuously operated for terrorist purposes,' he said on Tuesday afternoon. 'This is further evidence of how the terrorist Houthi organisation exploits civilian infrastructure for terrorist purposes.' Several power stations in the Sana'a region were also attacked, Col Adraee said, as they were being exploited by the Houthi group. 'The Al-Omran Cement Factory, north of Sanaa, was also attacked. It is considered one of the Houthis' most important resources for building tunnels and military infrastructure. Targeting the factory constitutes a blow to the regime's economy and its military armament methods,' Col Adraee said. Tuesday's attacks followed the Israeli strike on Hodeidah port, which killed at least one and left 35 others injured. The Israeli military said its fighter jets struck Houthi targets in Hodeidah and its vicinity on Monday, disabling the area which 'serves as a hub for the transfer of Iranian weapons and equipment for military needs,' the military claimed in a statement. It said the strikes were "carried out in response to repeated attacks carried out by the Houthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel in which surface-to-surface missiles and unmanned aircraft were launched". In the aftermath of the attack, the Houthis, who largely control the Arab nation, shut down the area around the port and the factory. Although Yemen said the extent of the damage was unknown, images showed a fire engulfing the container berth of the port. Anonymous sources told Reuters that 70 per cent of the port's five docks, warehouses and customs area were damaged. The strikes occurred as two ships were unloading their cargo, a port worker said. Hodeidah is the second-largest port in the Red Sea after Aden, and it is the entry point for about 80 per cent of Yemen's food imports. Israel carried out more than 10 strikes targeting the port as well as Al Salakhanah and Al Hawak neighbourhoods in the city of Hodeidah, local residents said. Four missiles struck the cement factory. Shortly before the Israeli attack, the US military had carried out airstrikes near the capital Sanaa, The Times of Israel said. The Israeli attacks came after a Yemeni ballistic missile landed near Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on Sunday, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers. In a televised statement claiming responsibility for the strike, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree warned airlines that Israel's main international airport was 'no longer safe for air travel'. The Iran-backed Yemeni group has intensified missile attacks on Israel, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. They have been firing at Israel and shipping in the Red Sea, significantly disrupting maritime trade, since Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023. The war started after nearly 1,200 people were killed, most of them civilians, and 251 others taken hostage during a Hamas attack on southern Israel. Israel's air and ground assault that followed has killed 52,000 Palestinians thus far, according to health officials in the Hamas-run strip, and displaced many of its 2.2 million people. Israel on Monday approved a plan to seize the whole of Gaza and control the flow of aid to the besieged Palestinian enclave. Mr Netanyahu had vowed retaliation for Sunday's missile strike in Tel Aviv which escaped interception by the country's air defence systems. After the strikes on Hodeidah, Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada said in an X post that Israel should wait for the "unimaginable". In March, American president Donald Trump ordered his military to ramp up airstrikes on Yemen. The attacks have killed hundreds of people so far. US airstrikes on an oil port in April killed 74 people and wounded 171, the Houthis said.
