Yemeni naval operations are significantly undermining US influence in the Eastern Mediterranean, leading to the retreat and defeat of the US Navy in the region, an American magazine has reported.
In its Sunday report, the National Interest highlighted that there are no signs of the Yemeni naval operations in support of Gaza slowing down. It emphasized that Yemeni naval attacks on military vessels have made the Eastern Mediterranean a challenging zone for US Central Command.
The report noted that the US currently has no aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East following the departure of the nuclear-powered carrier USS Abraham Lincoln last month. Yemeni attacks have played a role in driving the US Navy out of the region, the report stated.
It also mentioned that the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman docked in Marseille, France, over the weekend for Thanksgiving celebrations. According to the report, the Truman is expected to be deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean later this month and may transit through the Suez Canal into the Red Sea. Initially destined for the Middle East, the carrier instead took a detour to the North Sea, recently concluding NATO operations in the Arctic.
The magazine referenced recent Yemeni attacks on three US vessels in the region, though the US Navy and Central Command did not disclose the names of the targeted commercial ships. On December 1, Yemen’s Armed Forces announced a joint, specialized military operation targeting a US destroyer and three American military supply ships.
The Yemeni forces attacked the Stena Impeccable, Maersk Saratoga, and Liberty Grace using 16 ballistic and cruise missiles as well as drones in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden, delivering precise and direct strikes.
Earlier, on November 12, Yemeni forces conducted two preemptive operations targeting US forces allegedly preparing hostile actions against Yemen. These operations hit the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea with several cruise missiles and drones, successfully thwarting US aerial plans. A second operation targeted two US destroyers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones.
Following these attacks, the USS Abraham Lincoln retreated, leaving the Middle East without a carrier for the second time this year. This follows the earlier retreat of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which had also been targeted in multiple operations in the Red Sea months prior.
