U.S. fighter jets carried out a wave of strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen after President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered a “decisive and powerful military action” against the Iranian proxy terrorist group.
The strikes come days after Houthis vowed to step up their terrorist campaign against Israeli and Western shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial maritime waterway connecting Europe to Asia. “U.S. President Donald Trump launched large-scale military strikes against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping,” Reuters reported.
In the first round of the aerial operation, U.S. airstrikes targeted Iranian-supplied air defense systems. Yemen’s main airport, TV station, and Houthis’ terrorist headquarters were also hit, Israeli media reports indicate.
“A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that U.S. air and naval assets hit dozens of Houthi targets in Yemen, including missiles, radars and drone and air defense systems,” ABC News reported. “The Houthi attacks were carried out by fighter jets from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, now in the northern Red Sea, as well as Air Force attack planes and armed drones launched from bases in the region.”
The Yemen-based terrorist group has been targeting U.S. naval fleets and commercial shipping in the region, President Trump said. Houthis have been engaging in “an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social. “No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World,” he declared.
The Associated Press reported Sunday morning:
President Donald Trump said he ordered a series of airstrikes on the Houthi-held areas in Yemen on Saturday, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Iran-backed rebels cease their attacks on shipping along a vital maritime corridor. The Houthis said at least 31 people were killed.“Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom,” Trump said in a social media post. “No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.”He also warned Iran to stop supporting the rebel group, promising to hold the country “fully accountable” for the actions of its proxy. It comes two weeks after the U.S. leader sent a letter to Iranian leaders offering a path to restarting bilateral talks between the countries on Iran’s advancing nuclear program. Trump has said he will not allow it to become operational.The Houthis reported explosions in their territory Saturday evening, in the capital of Sanaa and the northern province of Saada, the rebels’ stronghold on the border with Saudi Arabia, with more airstrikes reported in those areas early Sunday. Images online showed plumes of black smoke over the area of the Sanaa airport complex, which includes a sprawling military facility. The Houthis also reported airstrikes early Sunday on the provinces of Hodeida, Bayda, and Marib. (…)A U.S. official said this was the beginning of air strikes on Houthi targets that are expected to continue. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. (…)The airstrikes come 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.
The U.S. fighter jets reportedly targeted the terrorist-controlled airport in Yemen’s capital Sana’a, along with a TV station and Houthis’ main command center in Al-Jiraf in western Yemen, the Israeli news website YNET claimed, citing Arab news sources.
“According to Arab media reports, the strikes in Sana’a hit an airport, a television station and a Houthi command-and-control center. The attacks concentrated on the Al-Jiraf neighborhood, where most Houthi operatives are based,” the news outlet reported. “U.S. reports indicate that the strikes, aimed at the Houthis’ vast weapons stockpiles—some of which are buried underground—could last several days, possibly weeks, and may escalate depending on the Houthis’ response.”
The campaign, aimed at destroying Houthis’ Iranian-supplied weapons stash, could take several weeks. “U.S. officials said that airstrikes against the Houthis’ arsenal, much of which is buried deep underground, could last for several weeks, intensifying in scope and scale depending on the militants’ reaction,” The New York Times disclosed.
The Iran-backed terrorist group turned into a bigger menace after President Joe Biden in February 2021 removed it from the list of international terrorist groups. In January 2025, President Trump re-designated Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, in keeping with the policy pursued in his first term.
Houthis have massively disrupted the global supply chain since they launched a maritime terrorist campaign 17 months ago following Hamas’ October 7 massacre, killing sailors and sinking ships. “Major shipping companies have been forced to stop using the Red Sea – through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade usually passes – and use a much longer route around southern Africa instead,” the BBC noted.
Besides waging jihad against unarmed sailors on the high seas, the Yemen-based terrorist group seeks the destruction of the United States and Israel. Houthis, who formally call themselves ‘Ansar Allah’ (Arabic for Defenders of Allah), declare their key objectives in the official slogan: “Allah is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory for Islam.”
A day after the Israeli military eliminated a team of Hamas drone operators, who were targeting IDF ground troops in northern Gaza, the Islamic terrorist group is claiming that they were all aid workers, journalists, and curious onlookers.
The narrative of Israel targeting Palestinian journalists was peddled by many mainstream media outlets, with most of them citing the notorious Hamas-run “Health Ministry” as their sources.
The Israeli military debunked those Hamas claims by releasing the names of the slain terrorists, including one wanted for his role in the October 7 massacre.
“Yesterday (…), the IAF struck a terrorist cell in the Beit Lahia area, among them was a terrorist who infiltrated Israeli territory during the October 7th massacre,” the Israeli military said in a press release Sunday. “The terrorists struck were operating a drone intended to carry out terrorist attacks against IDF troops operating in the Gaza Strip. Based on intelligence regarding the terrorist activity in the area, it can be determined that the drone was consistently used by the Islamic Jihad Terrorist Organization, as well as during its activities today.”
Many of the members of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad (PIJ) drone team, which was caught spying on IDF positions, were posing as journalists. “A number of terrorists were eliminated in the strike, including terrorists who operated under the cover of journalists,” the military confirmed.
The terrorists killed in the strike include “Mostafa Mohammed Shaaban Hamad, a Hamas terrorist who infiltrated Israel during the October 7th massacre,” the IDF statement added.
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