US Navy warships fired $1.16 billion worth of weapons in the fight against the Houthis

“Since the Iran-backed Houthis began launching near-daily attacks in November 2023, U.S. Navy ships have been present in and around the Red Sea to deter threats and protect shipping,” the spokesman said.

“This operation involved the use of a variety of weapons by the carrier battle group, including aircraft and ships operating with and independently of the battle group,” they added.

These weapons include surface-to-air missiles, land-attack missiles, air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground weapons.

The Eisenhower carrier battle group – consisting of the aircraft carrier Ike, several destroyers and a cruiser – was deployed to the Middle East last fall and spent months defending shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from relentless Houthi missile and drone attacks.

The US warships and aircraft attached to the carrier battle group regularly intercepted Houthi missiles and drones and carried out air strikes against the rebels in Yemen.

The Eisenhower left the region in June and was replaced by the carrier battle group Theodore Roosevelt. The spokesman said the cost of ammunition used by American warships between October and July would not cover the Roosevelt's ongoing deployment.

In April, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the U.S. Navy had already fired nearly $1 billion worth of ammunition over the past six months to counter the threat posed by Iran and its proxies.

The new figure means the Navy fired about $160 million worth of ammunition between mid-April and mid-July.

Although the pace of Houthi attacks has slowed somewhat, the rebels continue to pose an active threat to commercial vessels. Last week, for example, they attacked an oil tanker in the Red Sea, forcing a French warship to evacuate its crew.

Last week also saw the latest US military action against the Houthis. American forces destroyed a rebel missile system in Yemen.