President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the US military to take “decisive and powerful military action” against the Houthis in Yemen.
“They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”
A US official confirmed that American air and naval forces struck dozens of Houthi targets, including missiles, radars, and drone and air defense systems. Describing the operation as the first phase of military action against the Houthis, the official said the strikes also sent a strong warning to Iran.
This marks the largest and most significant military action of Trump’s second term.
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The strikes were carried out using fighter jets from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman, which is positioned in the northern Red Sea, as well as Air Force attack planes and armed drones launched from regional bases, according to a source familiar with the plan.
Trump approved the operation on Friday.
The decision followed a series of high-level White House meetings with Trump and his top national security officials, including Vice President J.D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Gen. Michael E. Kurilla.
According to a source familiar with the plan, the operation is expected to escalate depending on the Houthis’ response. “This will be decisive,” the source added, stressing that this would not be a one-day event.
Earlier in March, the Houthis had warned that they would resume attacks on shipping vessels if Israel continued blocking aid to Gaza.
Trump had also issued a warning to Iran, demanding an end to its support for the Houthis “immediately.” Shortly after taking office, he reinstated the Houthis’ designation as a foreign terrorist organization through an executive order.
In a direct message to the Houthis, Trump threatened, “If the attacks don’t stop, then hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”
The Biden administration had previously conducted several strikes against the Houthis as they disrupted international shipping in the Red Sea.
Trump criticized his predecessor’s approach, stating, “Joe Biden’s response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going.”
Since the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, the Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, severely disrupting global trade in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes.
Initially, the Houthis framed their attacks as an effort to pressure Israel to halt its war following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. However, even as shipping companies adjusted routes to avoid the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the Houthis continued their strikes.
(ABC News)
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