The first US airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels since Donald Trump assumed office, killed 31 people, according to the rebels, who claimed that children were among the casualties.
The strikes, which targeted Houthi-controlled areas in Sanaa, Saada, Al-Bayda, and Radaa, also left 101 people injured, many of whom were women and children.
Speaking on the airstrikes, a spokesperson for the Houthi health ministry, Anis Al-Asbahi, confirmed the death toll, adding that the attacks had caused significant harm to civilians.
“Most of the victims are children and women,” he said.
Footage from Houthi media showed children and a woman receiving treatment in a hospital emergency room, with one girl seen with her legs bandaged after being injured in the attacks.
In response to the strikes, President Donald Trump issued a harsh warning to the Houthi rebels, vowing to use “overwhelming lethal force” if the group did not cease its attacks on international shipping.
“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!” Trump posted on social media.
Trump also issued a direct threat to Iran, which has supported the Houthi movement.
“To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President… or Worldwide shipping lanes.
If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!” he added.
The Houthis have vowed to retaliate for the US strikes, warning that they would not “let this pass without a response.”
Iran also condemned the airstrikes, with top diplomat Abbas Araghchi calling the attacks a violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and asserting that Washington had no authority to interfere in Iran’s foreign policy.
The Houthi Ansarullah website described the US actions as “criminal brutality.”
The US Central Command, which released videos showing fighter jets taking off and bombs demolishing a compound, stated that the “precision strikes” were aimed at defending American interests, deterring enemies, and ensuring the freedom of navigation in vital shipping lanes.
“Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation,” the Houthi political bureau responded.
The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen since 2014, have been part of a pro-Iran “axis of resistance” that opposes both the US and Israel.
They have carried out numerous drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, disrupting a vital shipping route that carries about 12 percent of global trade. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell revealed that the Houthis had attacked US warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023.
The attacks have caused significant disruptions, forcing many shipping companies to reroute around the southern tip of Africa, which incurs additional costs.
The Palestinian group Hamas, which has expressed support for the Houthis, condemned the US strikes, calling them “a stark violation of international law” and an assault on Yemen’s sovereignty.
Iran also issued a strong condemnation, calling the strikes a “gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also communicated with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is closely aligned with Tehran.
Rubio told Lavrov that continued Houthi attacks on US military and commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea would not be tolerated.
Russia’s foreign ministry called for an immediate halt to the use of force, advocating for political dialogue to prevent further bloodshed.
The Houthi rebels, who have held Sanaa since 2014, had been poised to overrun much of Yemen before a Saudi-led coalition intervened.
While fighting has largely slowed since a 2022 ceasefire, the peace process has stalled due to ongoing Houthi attacks on Israel and Israel-linked shipping.
AFP
