CAIRO — Rising tensions are unfolding with both the United States and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen threatening further actions following U.S. airstrikes aimed at curbing the rebels’ aggression. These airstrikes were executed to protect the passage of military and commercial vessels along an important global shipping route.
According to the Houthi-controlled Health Ministry, these overnight airstrikes resulted in at least 53 casualties, which included five women and two children, and injured nearly 100 individuals in various regions, including Sanaa and Saada, the latter being a Houthi stronghold close to the Saudi Arabian border.
“We won’t allow them to dictate which ships can navigate these waters,” remarked Secretary of State Marco Rubio on CBS Sunday. The Secretary emphasized that this campaign would continue until the Houthis are incapable of wielding such control. He drew a distinction between these actions and previous one-time responses executed by President Joe Biden’s administration.
President Donald Trump asserted over the weekend that the United States would employ “overwhelming lethal force” against the Houthis until they ceased their attacks. Additionally, he held that Tehran would bear full responsibility for the actions of its associated militants.
The Houthis have a history of targeting international shipping in the Red Sea, ostensibly in support of Palestinians in Gaza amidst ongoing conflict with Israel and Hamas, another group linked to Iran. The attacks paused following an Israeli-Hamas ceasefire in January, on the eve of Trump’s administration, but the Houthis signalled an intention last week to resume hostilities against Israeli vessels following Israel’s blockage of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
This latest spate of U.S. airstrikes marks some of the most intensive action against Houthi rebels since conflict escalated in Gaza in October 2023.
Michael Waltz, Trump’s National Security Adviser, remarked on ABC that these attacks specifically targeted and eliminated several Houthi leaders, although he withheld specific names or evidence. Rubio also noted the destruction of some Houthi facilities.
The Houthi political leadership vowed to retaliate against the U.S. offensive and pledged to escalate actions accordingly. On Sunday, they claimed to have aimed missiles and drones at the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group.
A U.S. official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that the Houthis launched 11 drones and at least one missile over the course of 12 hours following the U.S. airstrikes. U.S. fighter jets intercepted ten drones, while one was intercepted by a Navy jet. The missile landed in the sea distant from the carrier and associated warships.
In the wake of these developments, the spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called out for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities,” citing the severe humanitarian crisis in Yemen.
Secretary Rubio highlighted the scale of prior Houthi aggression, stating they carried out 174 direct attacks on the U.S. Navy and 145 assaults on commercial ships utilizing guided precision anti-ship weaponry. Such actions have provoked the most intense naval combat faced by the U.S. since World War II.
On the diplomatic front, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard leader Gen. Hossein Salami denied Iran’s direct involvement in the Houthi attacks, arguing that Iran does not orchestrate the operational strategies of regional allied groups. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the U.S. to cease airstrikes, asserting that Washington cannot dictate Iran’s foreign policy.
The U.S. maintains its stance of accusing Iran of providing military support to the Houthi rebels, with instances of U.S. Navy interceptions of Iranian-made weaponry destined for Yemen serving as evidence.
Previously, the U.S. alongside allies like Israel and Britain had targeted Houthi-controlled areas, but the recent initiative was a sole U.S. operation, marking the first such strike on the Houthis under Trump’s renewed administration. The operation utilized assets from the USS Harry S. Truman carrier group, including accompanying destroyers and cruisers, alongside the USS Georgia submarine operating in the Red Sea.
