The Houthis said they attacked the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman on Saturday.

At 16:10 on December 22, the terrorist organization Ansar Allah (Houthis) issued a statement about “preventing a US-British attack” on Yemen.

The Houthis claim that on the evening of December 21 they attacked the American aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman and a number of destroyers of Western forces, using 8 cruise missiles and 17 attack drones. According to the Houthis, their attack led to the defeat of the F/A-18 fighter.

Centcom previously reported that on Saturday, December 21, an F/A-18 fighter jet taking off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman was shot down over the Red Sea, apparently as a result of “friendly fire.” The report, cited by CNN, said both pilots were rescued, with one suffering minor injuries. A preliminary investigation revealed that the plane was fired upon by the guided-missile cruiser Gettysburg. The cruiser is part of the carrier strike group Harry S. Truman, which arrived in the Middle East a week ago. Apparently, a fighter jet participating in an operation against the Houthis in Yemen was shot down.

The Houthis’ statement did not claim that they shot down the F/A-18. However, a text soon appeared, distributed by Al-Manar and Al-Mayadeen TV channels, associated with Hezbollah, which stated that the fighter was shot down by the Houthis. Then the Russian state agency RIA Novosti and other Russian media reported that the Houthis allegedly shot down an American fighter. Later, a revised version was published in the Russian media, according to which the Houthis did not shoot down an American fighter, but their actions led to the defeat of the F/A-18.

The US Army Central Command (Centcom) does not comment on the Houthis’ statement.

On the evening of December 21, strikes were carried out against Houthi targets in Yemen. The attack was reported by the US Central Command (Centcom) and the Yemeni TV channel Al-Masirah, controlled by the Houthis.

According to Centcom, a command and control tower and a missile warehouse in Sana’a were attacked. Centcom said in a statement that the attacked building was the main coordination center for Houthi attacks on US Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea. “The strikes will weaken the Houthis’ ability to carry out attacks that have targeted US warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden,” Centcom said. At the same time, the Centcom statement did not say anything about the Houthi rocket attack on Tel Aviv-Jaffa on Saturday night.

Al-Masirah TV reported “American-British aggression” and a powerful explosion in the Attan district of Sana’a, as well as the defeat of a target in Jabal al-Jada in the Al-Lahiya district of Hodeidah province.

Neither the Centcom report nor the Al-Masirah TV report mentioned the participation of Israeli forces in the operation.

However, a publication by the Russian agency RIA Novosti on the evening of December 21 said that US and Israeli aircraft carried out three airstrikes on military positions of the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis) in Sanaa. A local government source told the agency: “American and Israeli fighter jets carried out two strikes on Mount Attan, where the headquarters of the Ansar Allah missile brigades are located in the southwest of Sanaa. Another airstrike was carried out on the Al-Hafa military camp on Mount Nuqum , overlooking Sana’a from the eastern side.”

The IDF has not made any statements about the participation of the Israeli Air Force in this operation in Yemen.

Houthi attack on Israel 12/21/2024

At 3:44-3:46 am on December 21, sirens and explosions were heard in the center of Israel. Sirens were heard in Tel Aviv, Ramat Gan, Bnei Brak, Givatayim, Herzliya, Ra’anana, Rosh HaAyin, Od Hasharon, Ramat Hasharon, Bat Yam, Holon, Rishon Lezion, Ness. Zion, Beer Yaakov, Petah Tikva, Bnei Brak, Or Yehuda, Ramla, Lod, Yavne, Ramla, Modiin, and many other settlements in the center of the country. Then several explosions occurred.

A rocket attack was recorded from Yemen. The IDF later admitted that attempts to intercept the missile were unsuccessful. There was a fall of a rocket and fragments of anti-missile missiles on Israeli territory. An investigation is being conducted into the unsuccessful attempt to intercept the missile by the Hetz missile defense system.

The IDF confirmed that the missile coming from Yemen was first attempted to be intercepted by the Hetz missile defense system, and then by other missile defense systems (David’s Sling or Iron Dome, not specified). All attempts were unsuccessful.

The fire service reported a fire in the area of ​​Baal Shem Tov Street in Tel Aviv.

Later it became known that a rocket had fallen in the Jaffa area. Judging by the published videos, the rocket fell on a children’s playground near Dov mi-Mezrich Street.

The Magen David Adom Ambulance Service (MADA) reported that 16 people were slightly injured, mostly from glass fragments. 14 were injured on the way to shelters, another seven needed medical help to recover from a state of nervous shock.

Victims of the rocket attack from Yemen were taken to Wolfson Hospital in Holon and Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv.

The terrorist organization Ansar Allah issued a statement claiming responsibility for the rocket attack on Tel Aviv and saying that a Falastin-2 “hypersonic” ballistic missile had been fired at Israel. The statement noted the fact that Israeli air defense forces were unable to intercept the missile and said attacks on Israel would continue until a ceasefire in Gaza.

The previous similar attack from Yemen took place on the night of December 19, 2024. A warhead fragment from an intercepted missile destroyed a school on Sderot HaOranim Street in the Ramat Efal district of Ramat Gan. There were no casualties.

On the night of December 19, 2024, the IDF Air Force and Navy carried out strikes against targets in Yemen. The operation, codenamed “White City”, was carried out in two stages. First, eight Houthi ships in Yemeni ports that could be used to deliver weapons and weapons components were attacked. The Israeli Air Force then attacked four targets in the port of Hodeidah, two targets in the oil complex in the Ras Issa area, and two power plants in the south and north of Sana’a. There were reports of severe fires. There was a power cut in Sana’a. According to the Yemeni side, there were dozens killed and wounded.

Previously, rocket attacks from Yemen were recorded on December 16, September 27 and September 15, 2024. The Houthis used Falastin-2 ballistic missiles to bombard Israeli territory.

According to the IDF, since the start of the War of Iron Swords (October 7, 2023), the Houthis have fired more than 200 missiles (both ballistic and cruise) and launched 170 attack drones towards Israeli territory, the vast majority of which were intercepted outside airspace Israel – both by the IDF and the allied forces.

The IDF has attacked Houthi targets in Yemen three times since the start of the war. On July 20, 2024, the IDF launched strikes against targets in Hodeidah in response to a UAV strike on Tel Aviv and other Houthi attacks. On September 29, 2024, the IDF again attacked targets in Hodeidah in response to rocket attacks on Israeli territory from Yemen.

The command of the Yemeni Islamist terrorist organization Ansar Allah (Houthis) says it will continue to strike Israel.