Houthis Launch First SAM Missile at US F-16 & Drone

On Saturday, three senior U.S. military officials informed Fox News that Houthi rebels had, for the first time, fired surface-to-air missiles at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet and an MQ-9 Reaper drone. The fighter jet was flying off the Yemeni coast over the Red Sea when it was targeted, though the missile did not hit. The same type of missile was also launched at an MQ-9 Reaper drone flying over areas of Yemen not under Houthi control.

This marks the first time the Houthis have targeted an F-16 fighter jet with a SAM missile, signaling a significant escalation in the ongoing military engagements between the group and both the U.S. Navy and Air Force, according to the U.S. officials.

During the Biden administration, the U.S. military has defended its warships patrolling the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, escorting commercial ships and preventing attacks by Houthis following an attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The Houthi attacks began shortly after the Israeli military's war on Gaza and were followed by escalated U.S. Central Command strikes aimed at destroying the Houthis' infrastructure and weapon storage facilities.

There is now a high-level political debate within the U.S. military on the best strategy to counter the Houthis, who were re-designated as terrorists by the Trump administration's State Department.

The debate centers on whether a more traditional counter-terrorism approach targeting individuals planning and conducting ongoing attacks is preferable, or whether a more defensive strategy should continue focusing on Houthi infrastructure and weapon storage facilities.

Fox News reports that a shift toward a counter-terrorism approach could represent a significant escalation and some say it would be costly at a time when military resources, including MQ-9 Reaper drones, are being diverted to the southern border.

Ultimately, the decision on this policy will be made by the White House, according to the source.

Senior military leaders believe it is only a matter of time before a Houthi missile strikes a U.S. Navy vessel, potentially causing casualties and devastating damage to carriers and destroyers patrolling the Red Sea since shortly after the October 7 attacks.

Officials reported that a potential Houthi attack in Yemen on Monday targeted a ship farther away than any previous attacks they had conducted in the Gulf of Aden, possibly part of an escalating pattern by the group.

To date, the Navy has shot down or intercepted all missiles and drones launched by the Houthis at its warships, but sometimes the interceptions occurred just seconds before impact.