yeman
President Donald Trump said he ordered military attacks against sites in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia after months of disruption to shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
Following months of disruption to Red Sea shipping lanes, President Donald Trump claimed he issued an order for military strikes against locations in Yemen under the control of the Houthi militia, which is backed by Iran.
Trump claimed on Saturday that the strikes were in retaliation for the Houthis’ maritime assaults on ships traversing the southern Red Sea and Suez Canal, supposedly in support of Hamas after its war with Israel in Gaza began in 2023.
“These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” he said.
Due to the frequent attacks, most Western shippers now steer clear of the region and take the much longer route around southern Africa.
The extent and magnitude of the US military assaults were not immediately apparent. Requests for comment were not immediately answered by White House National Security Council spokespeople. The New York Times had previously covered the campaign.
Days prior to the military action, the Houthi militant group threatened to retaliate against Israeli ships in the event that more aid did not reach Gaza.
Since early 2024, the US, UK, and Israel have conducted additional airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in an attempt to halt attacks on Israel and ships. Since the start of a truce in Gaza in January, those strikes had stopped.
