The Houthi-controlled Health Ministry reported that the U.S. strikes resulted in at least 53 deaths, including five women and two children, and injured nearly 100 people in the capital Sanaa and other provinces, including Saada, the rebels’ stronghold near the Saudi border.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on CBS, “We won’t allow these groups to dictate which ships can pass and which can’t. The question is how long will this continue? It will continue until they no longer have the ability to do so.”

President Donald Trump vowed on Saturday to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis cease their attacks and warned that Tehran would be held “fully accountable” for their actions.

The Houthis have consistently targeted shipping in the Red Sea, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza amid the conflict between Israel and Hamas, another Iranian-supported group. Attacks halted during an Israel-Hamas ceasefire that took effect a day before Trump took office in January. However, the Houthis said they would restart attacks on Israeli ships if Israel stopped humanitarian aid to Gaza, which happened this month.

Since then, no Houthi attacks have been reported.

The U.S. airstrikes were among the most expansive against the Houthis since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023.

According to Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, the strikes successfully targeted multiple Houthi leaders. Secretary Rubio confirmed the destruction of some Houthi facilities.

In a speech broadcasted on Sunday night, the Houthis’ enigmatic leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, responded, “We will meet aggression with aggression.”

“We will respond to the American enemy via missile strikes and by targeting their aircraft carriers, warships, and ships. We have further options for escalation if aggressions continue,” al-Houthi said.

He did not specify, but the Houthis have previously targeted U.S. warships and shot down American drones over Yemen.

On Sunday, the Houthis claimed to have targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group with missiles and a drone.

According to a U.S. official, the Houthis did launch drones and at least one missile in response to the U.S. attack. Starting around midnight Yemen time, the Houthis fired 11 drones and at least one missile over roughly 12 hours. Ten drones were intercepted by U.S. Air Force fighter jets, and one by a Navy F/A-18 fighter jet. The missile fell harmlessly into the water, and nothing came close to hitting either the carrier or the ships in its strike group.

The spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities,” warning about the “grave risks” to Yemen’s dire humanitarian situation, the Arab world’s poorest country.

Secretary Rubio pointed out that over the past 18 months, the Houthis directly attacked the U.S. Navy 174 times and targeted commercial ships 145 times with “guided precision anti-ship weaponry.”

These attacks marked the most significant combat for the U.S. Navy since World War II.

On Sunday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Chief General Hossein Salami denied his country’s involvement in the Houthis’ attacks on X, stating, “We have no role in setting the national or operational policies” of the militant groups, according to state-run TV.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X, calling for the U.S. to stop its airstrikes and asserted that Washington cannot dictate Iran’s foreign policy.

The U.S. and others have long suspected Iran of aiding the Houthis militarily. The U.S. Navy has seized Iranian-made missile components and other weapons believed to be destined for the Houthis.

The United States, Israel, and Britain had previously struck Houthi territories in Yemen. However, those operations involved joint forces. The latest strike marked the first time the U.S. alone targeted the Houthis under Trump’s second term in office.

The USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which includes the carrier, three destroyers, and one cruiser, is currently in the Red Sea operating as part of the mission. The USS Georgia ballistic missile submarine has also been active in the area.