The United States announced on Tuesday the deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East amid heightened tensions with Yemen’s Houthis, who have been disrupting navigation in the Red Sea.
The aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, already in the region, will be joined by the Carl Vinson, currently in the Indo-Pacific, "to continue promoting regional stability, deterring aggression, and protecting commercial shipping in the area," said U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson Sean Parnell.
In its statement, the Pentagon did not specify a timeline or the exact areas where the two carrier strike groups would operate.
However, the announcement comes after the Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed attacks last month on the Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea.
Washington, which has carried out strikes in Yemen in recent weeks, has not confirmed these attacks.
Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, the Houthis have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea, disrupting access to the Suez Canal, which handles 12% of global maritime trade.
They claim to be attacking ships linked to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians.
As a result, many vessels seeking to reach the Mediterranean from the Indian Ocean have had to bypass Africa via the Cape of Good Hope.
The U.S. Navy has about ten aircraft carriers.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the deployment of "additional squadrons and other aerial assets to strengthen our defensive air support capabilities," according to Parnell.
On the ground in Yemen, the Houthis reported three dead and two wounded on Tuesday in airstrikes on Hodeida (in the west), which they attributed to Washington.
On March 15, the United States announced a new military offensive, vowing to use overwhelming force as long as the Yemeni rebels continued to target ships.
"These strikes against the Houthis have been incredibly effective," White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday, citing "over 200 successful strikes."
With AFP
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