US air strikes over Yemen (Image: Getty )
Donald Trump has launched a “decisive and powerful” wave of airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, citing the armed group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. “Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies,” Trump wrote on his Truth social platform, adding this had cost “billions of dollars” and put lives at risk.
At least nine civilians have been killed and nine others injured in Yemen’s capital Sanaa, according to the Houthi-run health ministry. President Trump stated that the air strikes were targeting “terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defences”, and that the goal was to “protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore navigational freedom.”
He added:“no terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the waterways of the world.”
And he warned Iran that it would be held “fully accountable” for the actions of its proxy, adding: “And we won’t be nice about it!”
The strikes come days after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing in waters off Yemen in response to ‘s blockade on Gaza, although there have been no Houthi attacks reported since then.
Yemen’s Houthis Tribal Supporters Gathering And Parade 2024 (Image: Getty)
Trump asserted that it has been over a year since “a US-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden.”
He further noted that the last US warship to transit the Red Sea, four months ago, had been attacked “over a dozen times” by the Houthis.
The Houthis have repeatedly launched missile and drone attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, significantly disrupting global trade.
Trump stated that the rebels have “choked off shipping in one of the most important waterways of the world, grinding vast swaths of global commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of freedom of navigation upon which international trade and commerce depends.”
The decision to strike the Houthis marks a significant escalation of US military involvement in the region.
While the Biden administration had conducted limited retaliatory strikes, Trump has now committed to a more aggressive campaign aimed at “using overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”