US launches broad airstrikes on Yemen
The White House announced the US launched broad airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Saturday night.
Donald Trump
“To all Houthi terrorists, 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,” US President Donald Trump said in a statement.
“To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end immediately” Trump added.
Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels recently threatened they would resume attacks on Red Sea shipping and missile attacks on Israel.
Israel suspended deliveries of humanitarian aid to Gaza and closed all of its crossings on March 2 amid Hamas’s refusal to accept a US outline for continued ceasefire talks.
The Houthis vowed in December 2023 to target any Israel-bound ship in the Red Sea, regardless of its ownership.
From bases along the Yemeni coast, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have attacked or harassed around 100 ships in the Red Sea as they traverse the Bab el-Mandeb Straits, a narrow maritime choke point between the Arabian Peninsula and Africa.
The majority of the world’s oil passes through the strait from the Indian Ocean towards the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea. Their attacks have brought the Port of Eilat to a standstill. The attacks also had a devastating impact on Egypt as Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty recently confirmed that revenue from the Suez Canal has dropped 60%.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack, the Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel. The majority have been intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace.
Israel launched several retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi positions, most recently in January.
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 59 remaining hostages, more than 30 are believed to be dead.
