Following Designating Houthis as “Terrorist Organization” ,U.S. Announces Deployment of Aircraft Carrier in the Middle East
Yemen Monitor/Washington/Agencies:
The U.S. military announced on Wednesday that it has a new aircraft carrier in the Middle East, a day after Washington designated the Houthis in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization.
Officials said that the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier has returned to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility this week.
The Harry Truman aircraft carrier left the Red Sea and docked in Souda Bay last month for a port visit after two months of combat operations in the Red Sea, primarily to counter Houthi attacks from Yemen.
Shortly after its port visit, the Harry Truman aircraft carrier collided with a commercial ship near Port Said in Egypt. After repairs, the aircraft carrier is now in Middle Eastern waters. It has also been used in joint U.S.-Somali airstrikes against senior militants in the Islamic State in Somalia.
The Houthis said on Tuesday that they shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone that was carrying out “hostile missions” over Yemen. A U.S. defense official said that the Air Force lost contact with an MQ-9 aircraft while flying over the Red Sea but said that the matter is under investigation.
The official said that the MQ-9 aircraft was conducting operations in support of Operation Poseidon Archer, referring to the U.S. military efforts targeting the Houthis in Yemen.
