Trump orders strikes on Houthis, dozens reported dead

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Sunday, March 16th, 2025

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RKI Network
Dozens of people have been reported killed after US President Donald Trump ordered military strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, escalating tensions in the Red Sea. Trump declared the action “decisive” and vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis cease attacks on global shipping.
According to the Houthi-run health ministry, at least 31 people were killed and 101 injured, including women and children. The strikes targeted Houthi positions in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, as well as military sites in Taiz and Saada, where a power station was hit, causing outages.
The Iran-backed Houthis have launched drone and missile attacks on Red Sea vessels since late 2023, claiming to retaliate against Israel’s war in Gaza. They briefly paused attacks during a Gaza ceasefire in January but have threatened to resume them over Israeli aid blockages.
Trump accused the Houthis of “piracy, violence, and terrorism,” stating the US aims to restore navigational freedom. He also warned Iran, the Houthis’ main supporter, to end its backing or face consequences. Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi condemned the strikes, urging the US to stop its support for Israel.
A senior US defense official confirmed further strikes are expected in the coming weeks, with intelligence gathered for a prolonged military campaign. Trump had approved the operation days earlier, following months of US efforts to curb Houthi attacks on international shipping.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of the US stance, emphasizing that Houthi aggression “will not be tolerated.” Meanwhile, the Houthis vowed retaliation, calling the US airstrikes a “war crime.”
Trump, who recently designated the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organization,” blamed the Biden administration’s approach for emboldening the group. Declaring a strong stance, he warned, “If the attacks continue, hell will rain down like never before.”