Cnn
–
Dozens of people were reported after US President Donald Trump ordered “decisive” military action against the Houthi rebels in Yemen, opening a new salvo against the group supported by Iran which targeted sea channels in the Red Sea.
In an article on Truth Social, Trump said that the United States would deploy “an overwhelming mortal force” against the Houthis “until we achieved our goal”, indicating the start of a major operation that could last for weeks and prompted Houthis to warn of climbing.
American strikes killed at least 31 people and injured 101 others in Yemen, mainly women and children, said the Ministry of Health managed by the Houthi.
The strikes killed “several” Houthi leaders, according to the American national security councilor Michael Waltz. They were a “overwhelming response,” Waltz told ABC News, adding that they were also aiming to “keep responsible Iran” to support the Houthis.
The Houthis, based in Yemen, began to launch strikes of drones and missiles on the Red Sea ships at the end of 2023 in what they say they are taking revenge on the War of Israel in Gaza. Supported strikes have had a significant impact on world trade.
The Houthis stopped their attacks when a Gaza ceasefire was declared in January, but has since threatened to take them back due to the Israeli aid blockages in Gaza.
In his article, Trump accused the group of leading “an implacable campaign of hacking, violence and terrorism against American and other, planes and drones”.
He said American staff were making air attacks on Houthi bases, leaders and missile defenses “to protect American, air and naval assets, and to restore freedom of navigation”.
“No terrorist force will prevent me from American sales and naval ships from navigating the world’s navigables,” wrote Trump.
Other actions after Saturday will depend on the evaluations of combat damage from this strike series, an American defense official told CNN. But there should be more action against Houthis in the coming weeks.
Trump also pronounced a warning for Iran, the main donor of the Houthis, saying that it was “immediately” to end the group support. He warned that if Iran threatened the American people or their president, “America will keep you fully responsible and, we will not be nice about it!”
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Seyed Abbas Araghchi, retaliated Sunday in a position on X.
“The American government has no authority or business, dictating Iranian foreign policy,” he wrote. “At the end of the support of Israeli genocide and terrorism. Stop killing Yemenis. »»
There have been deaths in the capital of Yemen Sanaa, according to the Ministry of Health, as well as in the northern province of Saada.
In Saada, Strikes has targeted a power plant in the city of Dahyan, causing a power outage in the city and its suburbs, reported the Al-Masirah TV managed by the Houthi.
The strikes also targeted the Houthi military sites in the southwest of the city of southwest Taiz, reported Reuters, citing two witnesses.
The Houthi political office condemned American strikes as a “war crime”.
“Our Yemeni armed forces are fully ready to respond to climbing with climbing,” he said in a statement seen by Reuters.
Trump approved the Houthi strike plan – which he asked to be written several weeks ago – at the end of last week, and the final order was given on Saturday to start what the officials describe as a sustained attack against the group’s positions in Yemen.
A larger strike campaign has taken time to organize and plan because the United States had to collect the information necessary for more radical attacks against the Houthis. A senior military official recently told CNN that the Intel collection required for wider strikes had been completed.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed strikes with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, stressing that Houthi attacks “will not be tolerated”, according to a reading of the State Department. Last summer, Russia was ready to deliver weapons to the Houthis but fired back Following pressure from the United States and Saudi Arabia.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Lavrov “stressed the need for immediate cessation of the use of force” in Yemen in the telephone call.
The United States has been working to degrade Houthi capabilities for months while the entity worked to disrupt international shipping routes to the Red Sea, one of the most frequented navigable channels in the world, qualifying attacks an answer to the War of Israel in Gaza against Hamas. The group has targeted more than 100 ships, especially with drones, missiles and small ships.
The Biden administration sought to respond by performing targeted strikes on Houthi positions in Yemen, in particular by attacking the storage of underground weapons in October and November, but the actions did not prevent other attacks.
“It’s not one. This is the start of a series of current events that will last weeks, even weeks, “said a familiar source with the strategy at CNN. “There is not and will not be an invasion or troops on the ground. But there will be a series of targeted strategic attacks in progress. »»
Earlier this year, Trump signed an order for the Houthis a “foreign terrorist organization”.
Trump, in his message, said that the Biden administration approach to the Houthis was “pathetically weak, so the without restraint Houthis continued”.
“For all Houthi terrorists, your time has passed and your attacks must stop, from today. If they don’t do it, hell will rain on you like nothing you’ve ever seen before! “He said.
Alayna Tree of CNN, Oren Liebermann, Sophie Tanno, Maria Kostenko and Mohammed Tawfeeq contributed to this report. This story has been updated.