US aircraft carrier leaves Red Sea amid Yemeni pause in Gaza ceasefire
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A US aircraft carrier strike group has left the Red Sea for Europe following a pause in attacks by Yemen's Armed Forces following the Gaza ceasefire agreement.
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The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, on Dec. 15, 2024. (US Navy via AP)
A US aircraft carrier strike group has departed the Red Sea for Europe, weeks after the Yemeni Armed Forces announced a pause in operations after the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
The USS Harry S. Truman and its fighter jets arrived in Greece following two months of combat operations in the Red Sea, the US Navy confirmed in a statement.
The withdrawal comes as the shipping industry remains cautious about resuming normal traffic in the Red Sea after over a year of disruptions.
While some US and UK vessels have cautiously navigated the waterway since the YAF declared a pause in attacks, most shipping companies continue to reroute their vessels thousands of miles around Africa.
The YAF announced a partial halt to attacks last month in response to a ceasefire agreement between "Israel" and Hamas in Gaza. Industry experts remain wary about an immediate return to normal operations, though the first liquefied natural gas carrier has been heading toward the waterway for the first time since September.
According to the US Navy, the carrier group had conducted multiple strikes against Yemen, in addition to airstrikes targeting ISIS in Somalia.
If you escalate, we will too: Sayyed al-Houthi warns 'Israel'
The Yemeni Armed Forces are currently monitoring and following up on the implementation of the agreement in Gaza and the developments in Jenin and the West Bank, the leader of the Ansar Allah movement Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said last month.
During the annual commemoration of martyred leader Sayyed Hussein Badr al-Din al-Houthi, in the capital Sanaa, he emphasized that the Yemeni position of continuous readiness and permanent willingness to support the Palestinians still stands no matter what.
He also asserted that if the Israeli enemy violates the agreement and engages in escalation and continuing the genocide, "we too will escalate."
The Yemeni Resistance leader emphasized that they will continue to work by the equation established by the martyr of Islam and humanity, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, regarding the al-Aqsa Mosque as well.
In this context, Sayyed al-Houthi stressed that coordination with the freedom fighters in Palestine and the Axis of Resistance regarding any developments continues unabated.
Addressing the US loyalists, the Yemeni leader said, "Let America do its best to confront us; let it make designations, fight, and do whatever it feels like doing," vowing, however, "We will confront it and repel any aggression it might unleash on us it, regardless of its size."
Read more: Exclusive: Yemeni Navy agrees to allow banned ship to cross Red Sea
