Donald Trump Orders Strikes on Yemen's Houthis Over Red Sea Attacks

US Military Strikes Against Houthis

• 🇺🇸 President Donald Trump ordered military strikes against Yemen's Houthis on Saturday in response to their attacks on Red Sea shipping.
• ⚠️ Trump warned the Houthis that their attacks must stop, stating, "hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before."
• 💥 Video showed a plume of smoke rising in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, at the scene of a strike.

Warning to Iran and Accountability

• 🇮🇷 Trump also warned Iran, the Houthis' main backer, to immediately halt support for the group.
• ⚖️ He stated that if Iran threatened the United States, "America will hold you fully accountable and we won't be nice about it."

Scale and Impact of Operations

• 📈 The US strikes represent the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office.
• 🤕 According to the Houthi-run Health Ministry, at least nine civilians were killed and nine injured in the strikes on Sana'a.

Houthi Attacks and Motivations

• 🚢 Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched over 100 attacks targeting shipping, resulting in at least four seafarers killed, two vessels sunk, and one seized.
• 🇵🇸 The Houthis claim these attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.
• 🛡️ The Biden administration had previously sought to degrade the Houthis' ability to attack vessels off the coast, but limited US actions.