Houthi terrorists in Yemen on Feb. 19 launched surface-to-air missiles at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet, Fox News reported on Saturday, citing three senior American defense officials.
The missile did not strike the jet, which was flying off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea, according to the report.
Houthis also fired a SAM at an U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone flying outside Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on Feb. 19.
The officials said the attack on the jet marked a significant escalation in the ongoing confrontations between the Houthis and the U.S. Navy and Air Force.
The Houthis began attacking American military assets along with commercial vessels shortly after the Hamas-led massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
So far, the U.S. Navy has shot down or intercepted all of the missiles and drones fired at their warships, though some of the interceptions occurred seconds before impact.
U.S. Central Command has in response conducted strikes on Houthi infrastructure and weapons storage facilities.
The Trump administration is reportedly currently engaged in a debate on whether to apply more traditional counterterrorism tactics to thwart Houthi attacks, after already having redesignated the Iranian-back group as a terror organization.
Last month, the Houthis announced that they would cease their attacks against Israel due to the Jewish state’s ceasefire with Hamas.
The group has significantly harmed international maritime security in recent months, targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden as well as firing dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel over the past year.
Israel has launched several retaliatory strikes on Houthi assets in Yemen.
“The Houthi terrorist regime has repeatedly attacked the State of Israel, its citizens and civilian infrastructure in Israel,” including using drones and surface-to-surface missiles, the Israeli military stated following strikes in January. “The State of Israel has the right and obligation to defend itself.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Jan. 10 that “just as we promised, the Houthis are paying, and will continue to pay, a heavy price for their aggression against us.”
