Pentagon orders USS Truman to stay in Red Sea despite failed Yemen campaign as Houthi missile breaches Israeli defenses
By isabelle // 2025-05-05
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  • The Pentagon has extended the USS Harry S. Truman’s deployment in the Red Sea amid a costly and ineffective U.S. bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
  • Despite over 1,000 U.S. airstrikes, Houthi attacks persist, including a hypersonic missile strike that shut down Tel Aviv’s airport, exposing Israeli and U.S. defense failures.
  • The U.S. bombing campaign has cost nearly $1 billion, killed civilians, and failed to weaken the Houthis.
  • Tensions escalate as the U.S. maintains a two-carrier presence, risking wider conflict, while analysts warn air power alone cannot defeat the Houthis or secure the region.
  • The Houthis’ precision strikes and Iran’s threats signal a growing multi-front crisis, with U.S. strategy failing to curb the rebellion or protect regional stability.
The Pentagon has ordered the USS Harry S. Truman to remain in the Red Sea for another week, signaling Washington’s deepening entanglement in a costly and ineffective bombing campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The decision, confirmed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on May 2, comes as the U.S. military struggles to curb Houthi attacks on shipping lanes and Israel now faces a humiliating security breach after a Houthi missile strike forced their main international airport to shut down.

A failing strategy

Since March, the U.S. has launched more than 1,000 airstrikes under Operation Rough Rider, targeting Houthi missile sites, supply routes, and leadership. Yet the rebels continue to harass commercial ships and even scored a direct hit on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, bypassing U.S.-backed Israeli defenses. The missile, which the Houthis claimed was a hypersonic weapon, landed near the airport after Israel’s Arrow interception system failed in a reminder of the group’s growing capabilities. The Pentagon insists the strikes have "degraded" Houthi forces, but the numbers tell a darker story. CNN reported the campaign has already cost nearly $1 billion in just three weeks, with little to show for it. Worse, the bombing has killed civilians, including 68 African migrants in a Saada detention center strike and 80 people at Ras Isa oil port. Meanwhile, the USS Truman itself has suffered embarrassing losses, including a $70 million F/A-18 Super Hornet that recently plunged into the Red Sea.

Escalating tensions

The Houthis, undeterred, have doubled down on their rhetoric, while the U.S. seems trapped in a cycle of escalation. By extending the Truman’s deployment and maintaining a two-carrier presence in the region—a rarity in recent years—the Trump administration risks provoking a wider conflict. Analysts warn that air power alone cannot defeat the Houthis. "Aircraft cannot occupy territory," cautioned naval strategist James R. Holmes. Yet the Pentagon keeps betting on bombs, even as commercial shippers abandon the Red Sea for safer routes.

A regional powder keg

Sunday’s airport strike exposed the limits of U.S. and Israeli defenses. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed retaliation against both the Houthis and their "Iranian terror masters," while Iran’s defense minister fired back: "American bases on [neighboring] soil will be our targets." With Hezbollah also threatening Israel from Lebanon, the Gaza war risks spiraling into a multi-front conflict—one where U.S. forces are already overextended. The Truman’s extended mission may placate hawks in Washington, but it ignores the grim reality: after months of airstrikes, the Houthis are stronger, global trade is disrupted, and Israel is more vulnerable. As one Israeli military analyst admitted, the rebels’ ability to strike with precision from 2,000 kilometers away is "impressive." “They were very accurate, and to be very accurate if you’re launching from 2,000 kilometers, it’s impressive,” Israel Army Radio military affairs analyst Amir Bar Shalom told CNN. “And you have to take this threat seriously. We have to check whether it’s our mistake or whether we have a new kind of threat here." For now, the U.S. keeps pouring resources into a losing strategy, refusing to acknowledge that its unwavering support for Israel’s war in Gaza has only fueled the fire. Until Washington rethinks its approach, the Red Sea—and the region—will remain on the brink. Sources for this article include: TheCradle.co Stripes.com FoxNews.com CNN.com
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