US Launches Military Strikes Against Yemen’s Houthis
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump launched military strikes against Yemen’s Houthis on Saturday over the group’s attacks against ships in the Red Sea, warning “hell will rain down upon you” if the Houthis do not abandon their campaign.
Trump also warned Iran, the Houthis main backer, that it needed to immediately stop support to the group. He said if Iran threatened the United States “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”
Background of the Conflict
The unfolding U.S. strikes represent the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January, and came as the United States ramps up sanctions pressure on Tehran while trying to bring it to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.
At least nine civilians were killed and nine injured in U.S. strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.
Impact on the Region
Residents in Sanaa said the strikes hit a building in a Houthi stronghold.
“The explosions were violent and shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children,” one of the residents, who gave his name as Abdullah Yahia, told Reuters.
On Tuesday, the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden, ending a period of relative calm starting in January with the Gaza ceasefire.
US-Iran Relations
The U.S. attacks came just days after a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei from Trump was delivered, seeking talks over Iran’s nuclear program.
Khamenei on Wednesday rejected holding negotiations with the United States.
Still, Tehran is increasingly concerned that mounting public anger over economic hardships could erupt into mass protests, four Iranian officials told Reuters.
Previous Attacks
The Houthis launched more than 100 attacks targeting shipping from November 2023, saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
Iran’s other allies, Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon, have been severely weakened since the start of the conflict. Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, who was closely aligned with Tehran, was overthrown by rebels in December.
But during that period, Yemen’s Houthis have remained resilient and on the offensive, sinking two vessels, seizing another and killing at least four seafarers in an offensive that disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
US Response
“The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” Trump wrote.
The previous U.S. administration of President Joe Biden had sought to degrade the Houthis’ ability to attack vessels off its coast but limited the U.S. actions.
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The grant money was allocated for Texas Office for Refugees and other groups that partner with Catholic Charities Fort Worth.
