June 25, 2025
World
World
THE HAGUE, June 25 — U.S. President Donald Trump claimed today that missile strikes over the weekend caused severe damage to Iranian nuclear sites, although he admitted that the intelligence available was inconclusive.
SANAA, March 17 — Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels announced yesterday that they had launched an attack on a US aircraft carrier group in the Red Sea and vowed to target American commercial vessels. This came a day after US airstrikes killed senior rebel leaders, according to the White House.
The Huthi health ministry reported that women and children were among those killed in Saturday’s US strike.
"In response to this aggression, the armed forces carried out a military operation targeting the US aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its escorting warships," the rebels said in a statement. They claimed to have launched 18 missiles and a drone at the American vessels.
The United States has yet to comment on the attack claim.
US Strikes and Huthi Response
According to Huthi health ministry spokesperson Anis al-Asbahi, Saturday’s US attacks on the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa, as well as Saada, Al-Bayda, and Radaa, resulted in 53 deaths and 98 injuries.
“Final toll from the massacres perpetrated by the American enemy on March 15: 53 martyrs, including five children and two women, as well as 98 wounded, including nine children and nine women,” Asbahi posted on X.
US officials have warned of further strikes until the Huthis halt their attacks on Red Sea shipping. The United Nations has called for both sides to cease military actions.
Before their claimed attack on the aircraft carrier, the Huthis had not launched any Red Sea or Gulf of Aden attacks since January 19, when a ceasefire in Gaza began. However, on Tuesday, they announced plans to resume targeting Israeli shipping due to Israel's restrictions on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Escalating Tensions
In a televised speech on Sunday, rebel leader Abdulmalik al-Huthi declared that US cargo ships would now be targeted “as long as American aggression continues.” He also called for a mass demonstration on Monday.
"If the American aggression against our country continues, we will escalate our response," he warned.
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz stated on ABC News that Saturday’s strikes had “eliminated multiple Huthi leaders.” He told Fox News: “We just hit them with overwhelming force and sent a message to Iran that enough is enough.”
Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth reinforced this stance, vowing an “unrelenting” missile campaign until the Huthis cease their attacks.
“This campaign is about ensuring freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence,” Hegseth said in a Fox Business interview. “The moment the Huthis stop attacking our ships and drones, the campaign will end. Until then, it will be relentless.”
CENTCOM confirmed that the US military conducted a “large-scale operation” against the rebels.
Impact on Yemen
Residents in Yemen described the intensity of Saturday’s strikes as unprecedented.
A father in Sanaa, who identified himself as Ahmed, told AFP: “I’ve lived here for 10 years, hearing shelling throughout the war. But by God, I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
Huthi media broadcast footage of children and women being treated in hospitals, including a young girl with blackened legs wrapped in bandages.
Trump’s Warning to the Huthis
Former US President Donald Trump, posting on social media, vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” to halt the Huthi attacks, which the rebels justify as solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
“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!” Trump wrote.
He also warned Iran: “Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY!”
Huthi Escalation and Global Reactions
The Huthis, who have long claimed political marginalization, seized Sanaa in 2014, forcing the government to flee south. In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition launched a military campaign against them, conducting over 25,000 airstrikes, according to the Yemen Data Project.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the US strikes, calling them an “unjustified act of aggression.”
Strategic Importance of the Red Sea
The Huthis have launched numerous drone and missile attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, disrupting global shipping. The Yemen Conflict Observatory reports 136 Huthi attacks on warships, commercial vessels, and Israeli-linked targets since October 2023.
The Red Sea is a critical trade route, handling approximately 12% of global shipping. The Huthi attacks have forced many companies to take costly detours around Africa.
Hamas, which has praised the Huthis' support, condemned the US airstrikes as a “violation of international law.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief, Hossein Salami, warned: “Iran will not wage war, but if anyone threatens us, we will respond decisively.”
Continued Conflict
The United States has carried out multiple strikes on Huthi targets, while Israel has also bombed Yemen, most recently in December in response to Huthi missile fire.
Although fighting in Yemen’s civil war has mostly paused since a 2022 ceasefire, peace talks have stalled due to the Huthis’ Red Sea attacks.
The war has resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths, either directly or through famine and disease, leaving Yemen in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. — AFP
