U.S. President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen would be “completely annihilated” by military strikes from the United States. He also demanded that Iran immediately cease providing military support to the Houthis and let them defend themselves. These statements were published on social media amidst an ongoing U.S. military campaign against Houthi targets in Yemen, aimed at halting the group’s assaults on commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The airstrikes, initiated by the U.S. military over the weekend, were intended to enforce the freedom of navigation in the region. Mr. Trump claimed that “tremendous damage” had been inflicted and predicted that the outcome for the Houthis would worsen, stating, “It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!” Earlier that day, the U.S. Central Command shared a video showing American fighter jets obliterating Houthi attack drones.
The Houthi group has been launching attacks on Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which is also backed by Iran. After a brief truce with Hamas in January, the Houthis pledged to recommence their strikes as the talks to establish a longer-term peace fell apart and as aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip were blocked by the Israeli forces.
Mr. Trump announced he had ordered the military to execute “decisive and powerful” actions against the Houthis, who control much of northern Yemen. He characterized their conduct as a “relentless campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism” against American and other vessels, funded by Iran. The strikes were also designed to signal a warning to Iran. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth affirmed the president’s remarks, saying in a tweet that Houthi attacks on U.S. ships, aircraft, and troops “will not be tolerated,” and put Iran, the Houthis’ sponsor, “on notice.”
In response, the Houthis announced they had attempted to target a U.S. aircraft carrier four times in the past three days and claimed to have repelled an airstrike. However, at a Monday briefing with journalists, Lt. General Alexus G. Grynkewich of the U.S. Air Force and Joint Staff operations director, dismissed these claims saying, “They missed by a hundred miles,” and added, “It’s hard to tell what they are doing, given their level of incompetence.”
He confirmed dozens of Houthi casualties from the strikes, including technical weapons experts, but stated there was no indication of civilian casualties. According to Anis al-Asbahi, a Houthi Health Ministry spokesman, the strikes killed at least 53 people and injured 98 others.
Sean Parnell, a Defense Department spokesperson, said at the briefing, “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” but clarified that it would not be an endless operation. The campaign’s stated goal is for the Houthis to cease attacking commercial vessels. Parnell noted that since 2023, there were 170 attacks against U.S. warships in the region and 145 attacks on civilian vessels. In November 2023, the Houthis hijacked the MV Galaxy Leader, leading to the prolonged capture of its international crew; 25 of the sailors were released in January.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/19/world/middleeast/trump-houthis-yemen-strikes.html
