New video from a US aircraft carrier battle group shows the Navy’s explosive front-line fighting in the Red Sea

• The Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group has left the Middle East after a turbulent deployment.

• A video shared this week by the crew of the aircraft carrier Ike offers insights into the fighting.

• Footage shows American forces intercepting Houthi threats and carrying out attacks in Yemen.

A new video from the crew of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, which has been at the forefront of the US Navy’s fight against the Houthis for months, provides insight into the fierce fighting between American forces and the Iran-backed rebels.

The Eisenhower and the other Navy warships in the carrier battle group left the Middle East on Saturday after spending more than seven months in the region’s stormy waters defending key shipping lanes in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from relentless Houthi attacks.

As part of these efforts, American forces have frequently been tasked with intercepting Houthi missiles and drones from the air and sea. The United States has also carried out a number of strikes – both alone and with coalition partners – on rebel facilities and weapons in Yemen.

The short video, which was shared on various social media accounts this week and is set to AC/DC’s “Back in Black,” shows US Navy sailors and pilots conducting operations on the flight deck of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ike. Planes can be seen taking off and landing, as well as being rearmed with munitions.

The video also includes previously unreleased footage of US airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen and recordings of their threats after the shootdown.

The aerial footage shows explosions in the mountains, above and in the water, and on land. Some coalition partners, such as Britain and France, have also released footage of counterattacks on the Houthis, giving the public a close look at the conflict.

The Eisenhower strike group arrived in the Middle East in early November, and by the end of May, American forces had already fired more than 500 shells and attacked nearly 430 planned and dynamic Houthi targets, underscoring the high speed of operations.

That number has only increased in the weeks since, as Houthi attacks continue unabated with no signs of abating. U.S. intelligence agencies warn that the conflict could continue for a while, and the rising financial cost of the American naval presence raises questions about the long-term sustainability of the counter-Houthi mission.

Because the Eisenhower Battle Group regularly fights the Houthis, it needed to be rearmed and resupplied during its deployment, which was extended twice by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. But over the weekend, the Pentagon surprisingly announced its withdrawal from the Middle East and its plan to return home.

The Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Philippine Sea and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gravely, sailing alongside the Ike, departed the Red Sea on Saturday and entered the eastern Mediterranean, officially ending their turbulent and high-intensity mission.

“After seven eventful months in the Middle East, the IKE Battle Group is back in the U.S. 6th Fleet and, as always, ready to demonstrate our flexibility and capabilities wherever they are needed,” Rear Admiral Kavon Hakimzadeh, the newly appointed commander of Carrier Battle Group 2, said in a statement Monday.

“We are ready to operate anywhere, anytime, whenever we are called upon,” he added.

The Ike and its accompanying warships will soon be replaced by the Carrier Strike Group USS Theodore Roosevelt, which operates in the Indo-Pacific region.

The change in the American naval presence in the Middle East comes at a time when the Houthis are particularly active. This month alone, the rebels have attacked several merchant vessels, including one using a drone boat – the first time since they began their disturbing campaign in the Red Sea in the fall.

Read the original article on Business Insider