The strikes occurred on the same day U.S.-led joint forces killed a deputy leader of ISIS, Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai.
President Donald Trump announced on March 15 that he ordered the U.S. military to “launch decisive and powerful” action against Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
The aerial attacks, which he said are to restore navigational freedom, are already ongoing and are occurring days after the Houthis said they will resume attacks on Israeli ships passing near Yemen in response to the halt in aid reaching Gaza.
“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 International Trade and Commerce depends.”
The Houthis reported a series of explosions in their territory Saturday evening.
The Iran-backed Yemen-based organization has launched attacks on more than 100 vessels from multiple countries using missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors in the process, between the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in October 2023 through January 2025.
Trump cited those recent attacks in his Truth Social post, blaming former President Joe Biden for allowing the attacks to persist.
“Joe Biden’s response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going,” he said. ”It has been over a year since a U.S. flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden.”
“These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk,” he added.
Those attacks ended with the start of the cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in January. However, after Israel halted all aid bound for the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, while warning of “additional consequences” if the cease-fire doesn’t extend into its second phase, the Houthis announced that “any Israeli vessel” passing by would become a target.
A maritime security firm retained doubt that the Houthi’s threat would remain solely directed at vessels flying under the Israeli flag.
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman carrier group is currently operating in the Red Sea. The U.S. military said on March 12 that its forces in the region “remain vigilant.”
“We will do what is necessary to protect and defend U.S. personnel, assets, and partners,” it said.
To the Houthis, Trump said, “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 also demanded Iran stop funding the Houthis and not threaten the American people, their president, or worldwide shipping lanes, or he would hold that nation fully accountable and “won’t be nice about it.”
The attack on the Houthis marks the second confirmed strike on terrorist groups in the Middle East on March 15, following the death of the deputy caliph of ISIS, Abdallah Maki Mosleh al-Rifai, also known as Abu Khadija, in Anbar Province, Iraq, during a joint operation between Iraqi national intelligence and U.S.-led coalition forces.
Nathan Worcester, Andrew Thornebrooke, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
