News - Middle East: A senior commander in the US Navy has acknowledged that Yemen presents the most significant maritime challenge to the United States in modern history.

Highlighting the lethal capabilities of the Yemeni Armed Forces, the commander described the situation facing American forces as exceptionally difficult.

"This is deadly stuff," the BBC quoted Captain Dave Wroe, who commands the four US Navy destroyers which provide the extra protection for the carrier.

Wroe lists the threats they've been facing over the past four months: anti-ship ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, unmanned surface vessels, and now unmanned underwater vessels, or UUVs, all loaded with explosives.

The report quoted Wroe as saying, "The Houthis have posed the greatest challenge to the US Navy in recent history."

"This is the most since World War Two," he says. That was the last time the US operated in an area where they could be fired upon every day.

The BBC correspondent who visited Eisenhower said, "While we're on board we're told the Houthis have fired another ballistic missile, traveling at more than three times the speed of sound."

He indicated that the Yemeni Armed Forces have succeeded in targeting numerous ships and managed to sink the vessel Rubymar.

The report quoted Captain Chris Hill, the commanding officer of Ike, as saying that "people need breaks, they need to go home." But he says they don't yet have dates for when that'll happen. 

He pointed out that the American aircraft carrier cannot carry out the mission alone, calling for a broader international effort.

Yemenis have openly expressed their support for Palestine's struggle against Israeli occupation, particularly intensified after the Israeli devastating attack on Gaza on October 7.

Yemeni Armed Forces announced that they would prevent the Israeli-bounded ships from moving through the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab strait until the Israeli aggression against Gaza stopped and the siege was lifted.