US strikes in Yemen kill 31 as Trump vows to end Houthi attacks

Kathmandu: The first US strikes against Yemen’s Houthis since President Donald Trump took office in January killed at least 31 people.

Washington warned Iran to stop backing the group. The Houthis, who have attacked Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, said children were among those killed by the intense barrage of strikes.

‘Attacks on the rebel-held capital Sanaa, as well as on areas in Saada, Al Bayda and Radaa killed 31 people and wounded 101, most of whom were children and women’ Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anis Al-Asbahi said in a statement.

President Trump, in a post on social media, vowed to use overwhelming lethal force and ordered Iran to immediately cut its support. The Houthis warned that the strikes will not pass without response, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the deaths and said Washington had no authority to dictate its foreign policy.

The Houthi Ansarollah website slammed what it called “US-British aggression” and Washington’s “criminal brutality”. The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which posted images of fighters and a bomb demolishing a building compound, said precision strikes were launched to defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation”.

The rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the United States. They have launched scores of drone and missile attacks at ships passing Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, claiming solidarity with the Palestinians.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Houthis had attacked US warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023. The campaign crippled the vital route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a costly detour around southern Africa.

The Palestinian group Hamas, grateful for the Houthi 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.

The United States  launched several rounds of strikes on Houthi targets, some with British support. After halting their attacks when Gaza’s ceasefire took effect in January, the Houthis announced on Tuesday that they would resume them until Israel lifts its blockade of aid to the shattered Palestinian territory.

Earlier this month, the United States reclassified the Houthi movement as a foreign terrorist organization banning any US interaction with it. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Moscow is close to Tehran, which supports the Houthis.

According to the State Department, Rubio said to Lavrov on Saturday that continued Houthi attacks on US military and commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea will not be tolerated.

The Houthis captured Sanaa in 2014 and were poised to overrun most of the rest of the country before a Saudi-led coalition intervened.

The war devastated the already impoverished nation. Fighting has largely been on hold since a 2022 ceasefire, but the promised peace process has stalled in the face of Houthi attacks on Israel and Israel-linked shipping.

RSS/AFP