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At least 53 people, including five women and two children, have been killed in U.S. airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthis, The Hill reported, citing the Houthi-run Health Ministry. Nearly 100 others sustained injuries in the strikes, which hit the capital, Sanaa, as well as other provinces, including Saada, the rebel stronghold near the Saudi Arabian border.
Houthis Pledge Retaliation
In response to the attacks, the Houthis’ political bureau issued a statement vowing to “meet escalation with escalation.”
The rebel group also claimed to have launched a missile and drone strike targeting the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. However, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press that they were not tracking any such incident, The Hill reported.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to exercise “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities,” warning of the “grave risks” posed to Yemen’s already dire humanitarian situation. Yemen, often described as the Arab world’s poorest nation, has been engulfed in conflict for years, exacerbating hunger, disease, and displacement.
Trump Announces ‘Decisive’ Military Action
On Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a major military offensive against the Houthis, accusing them of piracy, violence, and terrorism targeting Americans.
“Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform. “They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American and other ships, aircraft, and drones.”
Trump emphasized that the U.S. would deploy “overwhelming lethal force” against the Houthis, blaming them for disrupting global trade by obstructing key waterways, including the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, and the Gulf of Aden.
“The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated,” Trump declared. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The Houthis 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 depend.”
Also Read: Houthi Terrorists Attack US Aircraft Carrier In Red Sea Following Trump-Ordered Airstrikes On Yemen
