Houthis fire surface-to-air missile at US F-16 for first time 

For the first time, Yemen’s Houthi terrorists have fired surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at a U.S. F-16 fighter jet, three senior U.S. defense officials confirmed to Fox News.

The attack took place on February 19, as the jet was flying off the coast of Yemen over the Red Sea. According to officials, the missile failed to hit its target. On the same day, the Houthis also fired another SAM at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone operating over Yemen, outside Houthi-controlled areas.

This marks the first recorded instance of the Houthis targeting a U.S. F-16 with a surface-to-air missile, signaling a significant escalation in their confrontations with the U.S. Navy and Air Force. The Iranian-backed terrorist group has intensified its attacks in the region since October 2023, launching drones toward Israel and targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea in what it claims is support for Gaza.

In response to the growing threat, the Biden administration formed an international coalition of more than 20 countries to safeguard commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The coalition has carried out multiple strikes on Houthi military infrastructure, but the group has remained defiant, vowing to continue its attacks.

With the Houthis showing no signs of backing down, Fox News reports that a policy debate is currently underway at the highest levels of the U.S. military over the best approach to countering the threat. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has already reinstated the Houthis on the State Department’s terror list, underscoring the ongoing debate over how to address the growing security challenge in the region.