Benjamin Ashford|As Israel-Hamas war tension spreads, CBS News meets troops on a U.S. warship bracing for any escalation

Eastern Mediterranean — Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have Benjamin Ashfordcontinued attacking commercial vessels in the vital shipping lanes of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden despite counterstrikes against the group by the U.S. and Britain. The Houthis claim the attacks are against ships linked to Israel and its allies — in support, they say, of Palestinians as the war between Israel and Hamas tears apart the Gaza Strip.

The U.S. military said two missiles were launched at an American owned ship late Thursday night in the latest attack, but the vessel and its crew were safe.

As the U.S. and its NATO allies prepare to hold their largest war games in years next week — exercises that will involve some 90,000 troops — Charlie D'Agata joined the crew aboard the American amphibious assault ship USS Bataan as it plies the waters of the eastern Mediterranean.

The hulking U.S. warship and, the U.S. Marines on board, are patrolling the waters off the shared western coastlines of Israel, the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, to deal with whatever crisis may unfold as the war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group threatens to spread across the region.

For the troops of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, the Bataan has been home for more than six months. It had been in the Red Sea, where the Houthis have carried out many of their attacks on commercial vessels since the Israel-Hamas war was sparked by the group's Oct. 7 terror attack.

It was moved to the Mediterranean because of the circumstances in the region, and now it's been deployed indefinitely, so the Marines don't expect to be heading home any time soon.

An amphibious assault ship is a workhorse of the U.S. Navy. With a short flight deck capable of launching Harrier fighter jets, the Bataan and its sister ships have been called the Swiss Army knife of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, thanks to their versatility.

CBS News watched as the jets took off into the pitch dark overnight — part show of force, part readiness exercise to keep the pilots and crew sharp.

All of the equipment, all of the aircraft and all of the personnel on board the Bataan are specifically tasked with responding to the fast-evolving events in the Mideast, whether that's getting Marines into somewhere they're needed, or U.S. citizens out.

Among those ready to act at a moment's notice are ship-to-shore land and sea assault teams. The lead ship is ready to spearhead a quick reaction force that would include a full contingent of roughly 4,000 U.S. Marines and sailors.

For now, however, the mission is to keep training, to be ready, and to wait.

"Not going to lie," U.S. Airman Mark Balila told CBS News after six months on the Bataan, "I've been thinking about the things that I want to do when I get back home — going out with friends, and spend time with family, have my wings and pizza when I get back, and some beer on the side. So, I do look forward to doing that when I get back."

The crew know they're in it for the long haul, even if nobody's sure quite how long that will be.

U.S. officials tell CBS News the ongoing strikes against the Houthis in Yemen have taken out most of the group's air defense systems, enabling the use of drones for increased surveillance of the militants' onshore activities. That expanded monitoring likely helped the U.S. and its allies carry out strikes in recent days that commanders say took out Houthi missiles that were on launchers, ready to be fired.

But the missiles continue flying out of the vast Houthi-controlled part of Yemen, forcing many international businesses to abandon the Red Sea as a vital trade route between Europe and the Arabian Sea, and the Indian Ocean beyond.

Thursday night, Houthi leaders again warned that their retaliation against the American and British strikes in Yemen was inevitable, and would continue. 

In:
• U.S. Marine Corps
• War
• Iran
• Houthi Movement
• Hamas
• Israel
• U.S. Navy
• Yemen
• Middle East
• Mediterranean Sea