The escalating criminality of US attacks on Yemen

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On the 15^th of March, the United States launched an unprecedented attack on the capital of Yemen Sanaa resulting in the death of 53 individuals including 5 children. The Yemeni claim the attack is on a civilian populous region that has led to the martyrdom of women and children. However, the Trump administration claims otherwise. According to the US, it has used lethal force to deal with multiple Houthi leaders and has claimed their demise.

The attack is a message to the Yemeni Houthis not to create a mess for the US-allied ships in the Persian Gulf. It serves in response to Yemen’s pressure build-up on Israelis to continue the flow of aid into Gaza. The murder of 53 individuals has served as a mere deterrence by the US. Trump Administration has stated that hell will rain down unless attacks are not stopped. Further, it threatens the Yemeni people with more deaths and bombardments until the Houthis do not stop attacking the ships. Trump further on his social media app Truth Social makes it adamant that the bombings will continue as long as Yemen doesn’t cease its Red Sea operations.

Houthis however, have responded with extreme volatility as the leader of the Ansarullah resistance movement has warned that aggression will be met with aggression and escalation will increase if they face escalation, the Houthis, admirable in their strength, are not capable of sustaining large-scale damage from US airstrikes. Eventually, they would have to restrain themselves; their hubris may lead to the deaths of countless more innocent lives, as the US will not back down.

These strikes are aimed to degrade the Houthi military capacity. Targeted though in nature have led to the loss of civilian life. The militaristic policy comes forward from Washington which in irony claimed to avoid wider conflict in the region. However, through support from other nations Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Netherlands, New Zealand, and the UK, the US has proportionally begun coordinated attacks. Essentially, it is criminal targeting dense civil populated regions in the capital Sanaa but that has not stopped the US. They have further affirmed aggression disguising it under the precedence of deterrence to further limit the capacity of the Houthi forces and create a safe passageway for the ships passing through towards the Suez Canal.

Houthis have become a thorn in the Red Sea for Israel and its allies, halting and sinking ships and forcing them to use alternate routes around Africa. Costing millions in transport. Even though, trump in his inaugural address claimed to be a peacemaker his policies however have been of war-mongering. War for peace has been the agenda he has pursued putting extreme pressure on his allies and enemies alike forcing a change.

Notably, the Houthis had ceased damage since the cessation of genocide in Gaza with only two attacks in the last 2 months. However, the US attacked unprecedentedly giving way for the Israelis to continue their attack on Gaza. Furthermore, the Israeli government has also blocked all aid entering Gaza, a violation of their ceasefire agreement. Essentially, the Israelis backed by the US have no intention of ceasefire, instead, they aim for total ethnic cleansing of the region forwarding their aims of greater Israel.

The Houthi offense stems from the rooted Israeli genocide in Gaza, showcasing support for the Palestinians. However, the ceasefire was violated by the Israelis leaving 400 plus dead in their wake. The Houthis have been a constant support for the Gazans jeopardizing their security for their sakes, one of the few nations actively standing against Israel. The civil population in Yemen believes more in dignity rather than in surrendering to Western imperialism.

The writer is an analyst on Middle Eastern affairs.