The Red Sea conflict was the largest naval battle since World War II

• The Red Sea conflict was one of the largest battles ever fought by the U.S. Navy.
• “I think we need to go back to World War II,” Lt. Gen. Brad Cooper told 60 Minutes.
• The navy launched about 100 surface-to-air missiles and sent about 7,000 sailors to the Red Sea.

A US Navy admiral said the conflict with the Houthis in the Red Sea was one of the largest naval battles the US had fought in decades.

“I think we need to go back to World War II, where there were ships engaged in combat,” Vice Adm. Brad Cooper told “60 Minutes” host Norah O’Donnell in an interview aired Sunday. .

“When I say combat, where they’re being shot at, we’re being shot at, and we’re shooting back,” he continued.

Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, told “60 Minutes” that the Navy has sent about 7,000 sailors to the Red Sea. The navy fired about 100 standard surface-to-air missiles at Houthi missiles and drones every 60 minutes.

Since mid-November, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have been attacking ships traveling in the Red Sea. Rebels said the attacks were a response to the Israeli-Hamas war.

Cooper told 60 Minutes it was “clear” that the Houthis could not have launched such an attack without Iranian support.

“For 10 years, the Iranians have been supplying the Houthis. They’ve been resupplying them. They’re resupplying them while we’re sitting here at sea right now,” Cooper said. I told Mr. “We know this is happening. They are advising them and providing targeting information.”

The United States formed an international naval coalition to respond to the attack and protect ships passing through the area. In addition to shooting down Houthi missiles and drones, the United States has thwarted Iranian attempts to smuggle weapons to the Houthis.

On Thursday, U.S. Central Command announced that the U.S. Coast Guard had seized more than 200 packages of illegal weapons bound for Yemen last month.

According to US Central Command statementThe shipment, which included ballistic missile parts and explosives, came from Iran.

“It’s clear that we’re diminishing their capabilities, and every day they try to attack us, we eliminate and thwart them in a meaningful way,” Cooper said. he told Mr. O’Donnell.