At least 31 killed in US strikes on Yemen’s Houthis
Photo: Reuters
US President Donald Trump authorised large-scale military strikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the group’s attacks on Red Sea shipping, killing at least 31 people in the first wave of an operation expected to last several days.
The strikes, the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office, targeted key Houthi strongholds. The operation began as part of Washington's increasing sanctions pressure on Iran, which backs the Houthis.
Trump warned Iran to stop supporting the group, threatening severe consequences if it continued to back the Houthis.
In a statement posted on Truth Social, Trump said "To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”
The Houthis, who have launched numerous attacks on shipping vessels off Yemen’s coast since November 2023, have also targeted US warships.
These attacks have disrupted global shipping and prompted the US military to launch a costly campaign to intercept missiles and drones.
The US strikes killed at least 13 civilians in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa and 11 others, including children, in the northern province of Saada.
The Houthi political bureau condemned the attacks as a “war crime,” and promised retaliation.
The attacks occurred as the US military ramped up operations to curb Houthi activities, and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth stated that "freedom of navigation will be restored" following the strikes.
CENTCOM operations against Iran-backed Houthis continue... pic.twitter.com/DYvc3gREN8
Trump, who authorised the use of overwhelming force against the Houthis, further emphasised the need to neutralise the threat to US shipping.
The strikes also follow a letter Trump sent to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, seeking talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, which Khamenei rejected earlier this week.