News - Yemen: A prominent Chinese researcher in pure sciences has noted that Yemenis displayed greater boldness than China by repeatedly launching military operations against US aircraft carriers.

In a report, Chinese researcher Wang Tao explained that while aircraft carriers are not entirely obsolete, US carriers, in particular, have lost their strategic utility. He cited Yemen’s military actions as a case in point, particularly an attack announced in June 2024 against the US aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower. Although the US denied the attack, the Eisenhower quickly left the Red Sea, entered the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal, and returned to the US.

Wang concluded that while the carrier wasn’t sunk, Yemen’s forces compelled it to withdraw, demonstrating their lack of fear toward US carriers. The carrier’s rapid retreat underscored its vulnerability to further attacks.

The report highlighted that US aircraft carriers once symbolized American military dominance. Historically, the deployment of a single carrier battle group deterred threats, while multiple groups signaled impending war. Even as recently as 2016, China responded with maximum military readiness, including deploying strategic missiles and mobilizing its navy, when two US carrier groups entered the South China Sea. Yet, less than a decade later, Yemen’s forces have shown even greater courage by directly confronting these carriers.

In November 2024, Yemen’s Armed Forces targeted the USS Abraham Lincoln with missiles and drones, forcing its withdrawal from the region. The Pentagon later confirmed that Yemeni forces launched multiple drones and anti-ship missiles against US destroyers Stockdale and Spruance near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Abraham Lincoln, the last US carrier in the Middle East, was subsequently withdrawn on November 19, a move Wang described as another instance of Yemen forcing a strategic US retreat.

On December 1, 2024, the Yemeni military announced further strikes on a US destroyer and three supply ships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones. Yemen reported "precise hits" in these operations.

Wang argued that the most effective way to confront US dominance is not to destroy its carriers outright but to undermine their reputation. "Scratching the surface is better than smashing the head," he said, suggesting that embarrassing and diminishing the image of US military power is a more strategic approach. While Yemen didn’t sink US carriers, their actions left a symbolic mark, forcing the carriers into retreat and diminishing their perceived invincibility.

He concluded that Yemen’s boldness and tactical effectiveness have significantly eroded the deterrence once associated with US aircraft carriers.

Yemen has declared open support for Palestine’s struggle against the Israeli occupation since the regime launched a devastating war on Gaza on October 7, 2023, after the territory’s Palestinian resistance movements carried out Operation Al-Aqsa Storm against the occupying entity.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have achieved significant victories against the naval forces of the US, the UK, and Israel. These operations led to the effective shutdown of the Port of Eilat, also known as Um Rashrash, and forced the US aircraft carriers Eisenhower and Roosevelt to retreat from the Red Sea. The Yemeni forces also sank or damaged dozens of Israeli-linked ships.

These achievements have surprised many observers, as Yemen was not previously regarded as a significant naval power. The Yemeni Armed Forces have vowed to continue their operations as long as the Israeli regime maintains its war and siege against Palestinian territories.

So far, Israel has killed at least over 44,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 105,000 others in Gaza.