US Airstrikes In Yemen Kill At Least 31 Amid Rising Tensions With Iran-Backed Houthis

The Houthis have said that the attacks on shipping are in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.

US President Donald Trump warned Iran to cease all support to Houthis

Source : PTI

At least 31 people were killed in airstrikes launched by the United States against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday over the group's attacks against Red Sea shipping. US President Donald Trump announced the attack, warning "hell will rain down" on them if they do not stop. 

According to Reuters, Trump warned Iran, the main backer of Houthis, to stop support for the group immediately. He said if Iran threatened the United States, "America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!"

The Houthi-run Health Ministry said early Sunday that the death toll had climbed to 31, including women and children. Anees al-Asbahi, a spokesperson for the ministry, told Associated Press (AP) on Sunday that another 101 people were wounded.

These strikes are excepted to last days or even weeks, which is the biggest US military operation in the Middle East launched by Trump since he assumed office in January. It came as the United States ramps up sanctions pressure on Tehran while trying to bring it to the negotiating table over its nuclear program.

The Houthis' political bureau described the attacks as a "war crime." "Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation," it said in a statement, as per Reuters.

Houthis Attack Ship In Solidarity With Gaza

Over the past decade, the Houthis have controlled much of Yemen. Since November 2023, it has carried out over 100 attacks on shipping, disrupting global trade and setting the US military on an expensive campaign that burned through the stocks of US air defenses.

The Houthis have said that the attacks on shipping are in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza. Houthis often remained on the offensive, sinking two vessels, seizing another and killing at least four seafarers in an offensive that disrupted global shipping, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

Trump held out the prospect of far more devastating military action against Yemen.

"The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective," Trump wrote on Truth Social.