USS Truxtun deployed to Red Sea today.
Credit US Navy.
In an audacious escalation of US military action in the Middle East and Africa, President Donald Trump has announced a series of large-scale air and naval strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen, targeting dozens of sites controlled by the Iran-backed group.
The move is considered my many pundits to be a first test mission against Iran, who are believed to fund the Houthi rebels. The assaults are a said to be aimed at curbing the Houthis’ persistent attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. The strikes have hit radars, air defences, and missile and drone systems across Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, where residents reported massive explosions.
Trump took to his own Truth Social social media site to declare, ‘Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.’ He accused the group of waging ‘an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism’ against American and allied ships, aircraft, and drones, vowing to use ‘overwhelming lethal force’ until the Houthis cease their activities.
President Trump uses attack as stern warning against Iran
The president also issued a foreboding and stern warning to Iran, the Houthis’ primary backer: ‘Support for the Houthi terrorists must end immediately! Do not threaten the American People.’
The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen since 2014, reported civilian casualties in Sanaa’s Shouab district, with their media office claiming a residential area was struck. The group, which paused attacks during a recent Gaza ceasefire, had threatened to resume targeting Israeli vessels following Israel’s aid blockade in Gaza earlier in March. Both the Yemeni and Iranian governments are claimed to have been backing Hamas in Palestine.
U.S. officials confirmed the strikes were unilateral, distinguishing them from previous joint operations with the UK and Israel under the Biden administration. The offensive follows Trump’s January re-classification of the Houthis as a ‘foreign terrorist organisation,’ reversing Biden’s 2021 delisting. Analysts see this as both a strategic move to secure shipping lanes and a signal to Iran amid stalled nuclear talks, raising tensions across the volatile region.
