SOFREP Morning Brief: Houthis Target US Warships and Israeli Site in Escalating Red Sea Conflict, Zelenskyy Confirms Ukrainian Forces Operating Inside Russia’s Belgorod Region

Good morning! Here’s your defense and global affairs SOFREP morning brief for Tuesday, April 8, 2025: Houthi strikes escalate in the Red Sea, Ukraine confirms operations inside Russia, US military leadership sees major shake-ups, the Supreme Court rules on migrant deportations, and China pushes back against rising US tariffs.

—

Houthis Target US Warships and Israeli Site in Escalating Red Sea Conflict

Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility Monday for drone and missile attacks targeting both Israel and the United States, marking a renewed escalation in Red Sea hostilities.

The rebel group, backed by Iran, said it launched a “Yaffa” drone at an Israeli military site in Tel Aviv and struck two US Navy destroyers in the Red Sea with cruise missiles and drones.

The Israeli military earlier confirmed that it intercepted a drone approaching from the east before it entered Israeli airspace. While Israel did not identify the origin of the drone, the Houthis later claimed responsibility in a televised statement by military spokesman Yahya Saree.

⭕️ A UAV approaching from the east was intercepted by the IAF before crossing over into Israeli territory earlier today. pic.twitter.com/XIOZk7f3Fc

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) April 7, 2025

In response, Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported five US airstrikes targeting the Harib district in Yemen’s Marib province later the same day. These strikes are part of a broader US air campaign that began on March 15, aimed at pressuring the Houthis to cease attacks on commercial and military vessels in strategic waterways.

Since the war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, the Houthis have consistently targeted maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, citing solidarity with Palestinians.

A brief ceasefire in January temporarily paused the attacks, but operations resumed following Israel’s renewed offensive in Gaza on March 18 and its continued blockade.

The Houthis’ disruption of shipping in the Red Sea—a route accounting for roughly 12 percent of global maritime trade—has forced shipping companies to reroute around the Cape of Good Hope, adding time and cost to global supply chains.

Arming aircraft aboard USS Harry S. Truman for operations against Iran-backed Houthis…#HouthisAreTerrorists pic.twitter.com/tLrXQsu314

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) April 7, 2025

The US has pledged to maintain pressure on the Houthis to restore maritime security, but the group shows no sign of de-escalating amid ongoing Israeli operations in Gaza.

Trump Administration Fires Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield Amid Military Leadership Purge

Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield has been relieved of duty, becoming the latest high-ranking officer dismissed under the Trump administration.

Multiple officials confirmed the move to Military.com, marking what appears to be part of a broader purge of senior military leaders by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, likely under direction from the White House.

Chatfield, a career helicopter pilot and the first woman to lead the Naval War College, was serving as the US representative to NATO’s military committee. Her firing follows the recent dismissals of other top-ranking officers, including Gen. Timothy Haugh, head of the National Security Agency, and Adm. Lisa Franchetti, the Navy’s top officer and first woman to hold that role.

The Department of Defense has offered no official explanation or confirmation of who ordered Chatfield’s removal.

The United States’ military representative to the NATO Military Committee (USMILREP), Vice Admiral Shoshana S. Chatfield has reportedly been removed from her position today by U.S. President Trump, as his Administration’s purge of military officials appointed by President Biden… pic.twitter.com/tp6ib9uSWX

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) April 7, 2025

Reuters first reported her dismissal, while Hegseth’s office has remained silent, consistent with its handling of previous terminations.

Chatfield has long been a target of conservative activists who criticized her for promoting diversity in the military. In particular, they cited a 2015 speech she gave for Women’s Equality Day, in which she stated that “our diversity is our strength”—a phrase that Hegseth has publicly denounced as “the single dumbest phrase in military history.”

Her nomination to NATO was delayed throughout 2023 due to political opposition from Senate Republicans, including Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Sen. Eric Schmitt, who accused her of supporting “woke” military policies.

The silence surrounding Chatfield’s removal mirrors the administration’s approach to other high-profile firings.

Exclusive: US Navy Vice Admiral Shoshana Chatfield, who holds a senior position in NATO, has been fired as part of what appears to be an expanding national security purge of top officials by the Trump administration, three sources told Reuters https://t.co/IuPUaAawOc

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 7, 2025

The Pentagon provided no justification for Gen. Haugh’s dismissal last week, even as far-right activist Laura Loomer publicly claimed credit for orchestrating it due to perceived disloyalty to Trump.

The Trump administration has also dismissed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Charles “CQ” Brown and Air Force Vice Chief Gen. Jim Slife. Their positions, along with Franchetti’s, remain vacant or are temporarily filled by acting officers tasked with dual roles.

The recent wave of terminations raises concerns over politicization of the military and potential instability in top-level defense leadership as the administration continues to remove senior officials without clear cause or explanation.

Supreme Court Allows Trump Administration to Use Alien Enemies Act for Deportations, Requires Hearings

The US Supreme Court ruled Monday that the Trump administration may use the 18th-century Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelan migrants accused of gang affiliations but must allow those individuals a court hearing before removal.

The ruling, narrowly divided along ideological lines, marks the first time the law—last used during World War II—has been invoked in a modern deportation effort.

The conservative-majority court sided with the administration on key points, allowing deportations under a presidential proclamation labeling the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang as an “invading force.” However, it stipulated that migrants targeted under the law must be given “notice and an opportunity to challenge their removal.”

Legal proceedings must take place in Texas, not Washington, DC, as lower courts had allowed.

The ruling follows the administration’s controversial mass deportation of hundreds of Venezuelans to a prison in El Salvador last month—actions carried out without hearings, which the Court notably declined to directly address.

The case arose after a federal judge in Washington issued an order halting the deportations and directing flights to return the migrants to the US, an order that was never fulfilled.

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor criticized the ruling for making it harder for individuals to challenge removals and cited concerns that the government admitted it could not retrieve individuals deported by mistake.

“We, as a Nation and a court of law, should be better than this,” she wrote.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett joined parts of the dissent.

The ruling stems from an emergency appeal filed by the Trump administration after the ACLU sued on behalf of five Venezuelan nationals detained in Texas. The ACLU emphasized that the ruling reaffirms due process protections for all noncitizens, even under emergency national security powers.

While the administration claims national security justifies its actions, it has refused to disclose key details about the deportation flights, citing “state secrets privilege.” US District Judge James Boasberg, who initially blocked the deportations, has held hearings over whether the government violated court orders.

The Supreme Court’s decision adds to a string of recent wins for Trump, with several legal battles still pending—including a challenge to his proposal to deny citizenship to US-born children of undocumented immigrants.

Trump celebrated the ruling on his Truth Social platform, calling it a “GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA” and praising the Court for reaffirming presidential authority over immigration enforcement.

The Supreme Court has upheld the Rule of Law in our Nation by allowing a President, whoever that may be, to be able to secure our Borders, and protect our families and our Country, itself. A GREAT DAY FOR JUSTICE IN AMERICA!

Donald Trump Truth Social 04/07/25 07:52 PM

— Donald J. Trump Posts From His Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) April 7, 2025

Zelenskyy Confirms Ukrainian Forces Operating Inside Russia’s Belgorod Region

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed for the first time Monday that Ukrainian forces are operating inside Russia’s Belgorod region, signaling a notable shift in the war’s geography.

The announcement came during his daily address, where he stated that Ukraine’s top commander, General Oleksandr Syrsky, reported Ukrainian military activity in both Russia’s Kursk and Belgorod regions.

“We continue to conduct active operations in the border areas on the enemy’s territory, and this is absolutely right — the war must return to where it came from,” Zelenskyy said.

This marks the first explicit acknowledgment of Ukrainian ground presence in Belgorod since Russia’s full-scale invasion began over three years ago.

Belgorod, a region with a population of roughly 1.5 million, has frequently come under Ukrainian air and drone attacks, but confirmation of land operations signals a deeper incursion.

Today, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi reported on the situation at the front, including our presence in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. We continue to carry out active operations in the border areas on enemy territory, and this is just—war must return to where it came from.… pic.twitter.com/RyasIfin8n

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 7, 2025

The Russian military previously acknowledged Ukrainian land attacks in Belgorod in March, during a period when Ukrainian forces were under pressure in the adjacent Kursk region.

According to DeepState, a military blog with close ties to Ukraine’s armed forces, Ukrainian troops have secured control over a 13-square-kilometer (five square mile) area near the Russian border village of Demidovka.

Ukrainian officials have maintained that these incursions are tactical moves aimed at diverting Russian forces away from Ukrainian regions under assault, particularly Sumy and Kharkiv.

Full report: https://t.co/N1sZ4ShCRa

2/ Key Additional Takeaways:

Russian forces recently advanced in Belogorod Oblast and near Siversk, Toretsk, Pokrovsk, and Velyka Novosilka and in western Zaporizhia Oblast.

Ukrainian officials did not report any Russian long-range missile… pic.twitter.com/sXRHOhFEon

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) April 7, 2025

Zelenskyy’s comments on “the so-called grey zone and directly on enemy territory” suggest continued operations beyond Ukraine’s borders are part of a broader strategy.

Germany Probes Russian Involvement in Series of Domestic Attacks

Germany is investigating potential foreign interference in a string of recent violent attacks, following a report that suggested possible Russian involvement.

The German Interior Ministry confirmed Monday that authorities are examining “possible indications of targeted influence from abroad” and are treating the matter seriously.

The probe follows a report by public broadcaster ZDF, which alleged that Russian-linked online accounts conducted searches related to a deadly stabbing in Mannheim days before the incident occurred. In that attack, an Afghan man is currently on trial for killing a police officer and injuring others during an anti-Islam rally in May 2023.

According to ZDF, search terms such as “terrorist attack in Mannheim,” “attack in Germany,” and the name of the rally speaker, Michael Stuerzenberger, appeared in Russian-based online activity days before the stabbing.

Authorities also flagged unusual search activity prior to a separate incident involving an exploding parcel at Leipzig airport in July.

🇩🇪❗️A new investigation by Germany’s ZDF has revealed that, in the days leading up to the knife attack in Mannheim, internet users in Russia were actively searching for information about a “terrorist attack in Germany.”

According to investigator, this could point to prior…

— MAKS 24 🇺🇦👀 (@Maks_NAFO_FELLA) April 7, 2025

While officials stress there is no concrete proof yet of Russian orchestration, Germany’s domestic intelligence services are continuing “ongoing checks.” Anonymous sources told the Funke media group that algorithmic limitations prevent clear attribution or timing of the searches.

Lawmakers from Germany’s ruling coalition have expressed concern. Konstantin von Notz of the Greens called the digital evidence “an important building block” for investigations.

Dirk Wiese of the Social Democrats (SPD) noted the suspicious timing of the attacks before Germany’s February general election and said Russian involvement “is anything but ruled out.”

The attacks, largely attributed to asylum seekers, have intensified debate over immigration and domestic security in the lead-up to Germany’s recent elections and the upcoming European Union (EU) vote.

China Rejects US “Blackmail” as Global Trade War Intensifies Under Trump Tariffs

China rebuked the United States on Tuesday over escalating tariff threats, vowing to “fight to the end” after President Donald Trump threatened to increase duties on Chinese imports to more than 100 percent.

Beijing’s response came as financial markets attempted to stabilize following days of turmoil triggered by Trump’s sweeping trade measures.

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce accused Washington of “blackmail” and warned that raising tariffs would be a “mistake on top of a mistake.”

Trump’s administration had already imposed tariffs on dozens of countries, and plans to implement additional duties on Wednesday, framing the move as essential to restoring America’s industrial base.

China’s manufacturers are reeling from the impact, with companies scrambling to manage profit losses, renegotiate prices, and explore shifting production overseas.

The EU joined the fray, proposing retaliatory tariffs of 25 percent on select US goods, including soybeans and nuts, while expressing readiness to negotiate a “zero-for-zero” deal. Vietnam, facing steep tariff exposure, requested a 45-day delay and pledged to purchase more US. goods in defense and security sectors to balance trade.

Meanwhile, stock markets showed some signs of recovery. Japan’s Nikkei index climbed six percent, and China’s CSI 300 and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rebounded modestly after historic drops.

European and US futures pointed to a positive open, and oil prices recovered from sharp losses. However, Indonesia’s markets were hit hard, with a nine percent stock drop and a record low for the rupiah.

Trump defended his strategy as a necessary reset of global trade, claiming that no other president would have had the resolve to act.

“It’s the only chance our country will have to reset the table,” he said at the White House.

With global economic uncertainty mounting, Trump administration officials maintain the tariffs are a pressure tactic meant to produce better trade deals. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly met with Trump to stress the importance of conveying a clear endgame.

Sources: News Agencies