US deploys aircraft carrier to Middle East after listing Yemen’s Houthis as a terror group

The US military announced Wednesday that it once again had an aircraft carrier in the Middle East, a day after Washington designated Yemen’s Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization.

Officials said the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier was back in the Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility this week.

The Truman left the Red Sea and docked in Souda Bay last month for a working port visit after two months of combat operations in the Red Sea, mainly countering Houthi attacks from Yemen.

Shortly after its working port visit, the Truman collided with a merchant vessel near Port Said, Egypt. After undergoing repairs, the aircraft carrier is now in Middle East waters. It has also been used in joint US-Somalia airstrikes against senior ISIS-Somalia militants.

On Tuesday, the Houthis said they shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone carrying out “hostile missions” over Yemeni skies. A US defense official said that the Air Force lost contact with an MQ-9 while operating over the Red Sea but said it was under investigation.

The MQ-9 was conducting operations in support of Operation Poseidon Archer, which refers to US military efforts targeting Yemen’s Houthis, the official said.

This comes after the Houthis, also in February, launched surface-to-air missiles at an American fighter jet and an MQ-9 Reaper drone but didn’t hit either, US defense officials told Al Arabiya English. Officials previously said that the Trump administration was reviewing options for countering Houthi attacks.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration officially designated the Houthis as an FTO this week, as per an executive order issued by President Donald Trump shortly after taking office. The Biden administration, citing the humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, removed the Houthis. Critics say this was done as part of the Biden administration’s hope to revive the nuclear deal with Iran, which saw the US ease its pressure and sanctions campaign against Tehran.

The FTO decision now provides more options for military commanders to order offensive strikes against the Houthis.