31 Killed As Trump Orders Fresh Wave Of Airstrikes Against Yemen's Houthis: 'Your Time Is Up'

Last Updated:March 16, 2025, 10:11 IST

The US airstrikes took place after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing off Yemen in response to Israel's latest blockade on Gaza.

Donald Trump ordered a wave of airstrikes in Yemen-based Houthis. (Agencies)

US President Donald Trump ordered a series of airstrikes in Houthi-held areas in Yemen, in retaliation for the group’s attacks on global shipping in the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden in solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza.

Trump warned of using “overwhelming lethal force" against the group to stop attacks on American vessels. “YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!" he said on his Truth Social platform, in a new warning to Houthis.

The Houthis reported explosions in their territory on Saturday evening, in Sanaa and the northern province of Saada, the rebels’ stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia. The Houthis said 24 civilians were killed, including 13 in Sanaa and 11 – including a woman and children in Saada, according to the Houthi-run health ministry.

In his post, Trump accused the Houthis of waging an “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence and terrorism against American, and other ships, aircraft, and drones", adding that his predecessor Joe Biden’s response was “pathetically weak".

“The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which Trade and Commerce depends," he added.

The US President also warned Iran to immediately halt support for the Houthis, promising the hold Tehran “fully accountable" for the attacks. “Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!"

Houthis Call Attacks A ‘War Crime’, Vow Retaliation

The latest airstrikes represent the largest US military operation in the Middle East since January when Trump took office. Several images online showed plumes of black smoke over the area on early Sunday over the area of the Sanaa airport complex, which includes a sprawling military complex.

The USS Harry S Truman carrier strike group, which includes the carrier, three Navy destroyers and one cruiser, are in the Red Sea and were part of Saturday’s mission. The USS Georgia cruise missile submarine has also been operating in the region.

Describing the attacks as a “war crime", the Houthis’ political bureau said its forces are “fully prepared" to respond to escalation with escalation. Nasruddin Amer, deputy head of the Houthi media office, said the airstrikes won’t deter them and promised retaliation against the US.

“Sanaa will remain Gaza’s shield and support and will not abandon it no matter the challenges," he added on social media. Another spokesman, Mohamed Abdulsalam, on X, called Trump’s claims that the Houthis threaten international shipping routes “false and misleading."

The airstrikes came a few days after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing off Yemen in response to Israel’s latest blockade on Gaza. They described the warning as affecting the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Arabian Sea.

Why Is US Targeting Houthis?

The Houthis, an Iran-backed armed group that took control of most of Yemen in the last decade, have launched over 100 attacks targeting shipping since November 2023, disrupting global commerce and prompting firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa.

Trump said the Houthi attacks have cost the US and world economy in billions of dollars and put innocent lives at risk. The Houthis say the attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.

The Houthis have managed to sink two vessels and kill four sailors during their campaign targeting military and civilian ships after the Gaza war began. Iran’s other allies – Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon – were severely weakened by Israel since the start of the conflict.

The Palestinian group Hamas, grateful for the Huthi support, hit out Saturday at the US strikes, branding them “a stark violation of international law and an assault on the country’s sovereignty and stability".

(with inputs from agencies)

Washington D.C., United States of America (USA)

News world 24 Killed As Trump Orders Fresh Wave Of Airstrikes Against Yemen's Houthis: 'Your Time Is Up'