Hegseth emphasized the campaign’s focus on securing freedom of navigation and deterrence in a Fox Business interview.
“Once the Houthis agree to stop targeting ships and drones, the campaign will end. Until then, it will be relentless,” he stated.
US President Donald Trump, in a social media post, vowed to use lethally forceful measures to end Houthi attacks.
“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, and YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, starting TODAY. If they do not, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU unlike anything you’ve ever seen!” he wrote.
Trump also warned Iran to immediately cease supporting the Houthi rebels.
Houthis vow to hit back in the Red Sea
The Houthis reported explosions in areas they control on Saturday night and early Sunday. Their Health Ministry stated early Sunday that the death toll had risen to 53, including women and children, with another 101 injured.
Responding to the US strikes, the rebels threatened escalation. Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said his group would target US ships in the Red Sea until the US stops attacking Yemen.
“If they persist with their aggression, we will escalate further,” he declared in a televised address.
Al-Houthi also advocacy for a “million-strong” demonstration across Houthi-held territories on Monday, which marks the sanniversary of a significant military victory by Prophet Mohammed.
The Houthis claimed they had hit the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and other warships in the Red Sea, with no official confirmation from US officials.
How did the world react to the strikes?
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged “utmost restraint and an end to all military activities” in Yemen.
Guterres warned that any new escalation could worsen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard leader, General Hossein Salami, denied his country’s involvement in Houthi attacks, while Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi urged the US to halt its airstrikes.
Russia called on the US to stop the strikes, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov advocating for a political dialogue instead.
The Houthis intensified attacks following the outbreak of an Israel-Hamas conflict in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah
