In Dubai, United Arab Emirates, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Yemen’s Houthi rebels, warning that they will be “completely annihilated” as American airstrikes targeted locations under their control, intensifying pressure on the group’s main benefactor, Iran.
Strikes on Wednesday night hit Sanaa, Yemen’s rebel-held capital, and Saada their stronghold in the northwest, according to the Houthi’s al-Maisrah satellite news channel. Footage showed firefighters battling a blaze in Sanaa and damage to what was described as a sheep farm in al-Jawf. Additional strikes occurred overnight on Tuesday, killing at least 53 people, including children.
Trump tweeted on his Truth Social website that “tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians,” promising that the situation will only worsen for them. He also reiterated warnings to Iran against providing arms to the Houthis, claiming that Iran’s support for the group has decreased.
Iran has historically armed the Houthis, members of the minority Shiite Zaydi sect who ruled Yemen for 1,000 years until 1962. Tehran denies arming the rebels, despite evidence and experts tracing the weapons to them. Iran likely wants to avoid sanctions for violating the UN arms embargo on the Houthis.
Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency acknowledged Trump’s comments and cited remarks by Iran’s ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeed Iravani, who called the accusations baseless.
The Houthi rebels targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones from November 2023 to January of this year, sinking two and killing four sailors. This campaign raised the Houthis’ profile in the Arab world and subdued public criticism against their human rights abuses and crackdowns on dissent and aid workers.
On Thursday, the Houthi-controlled SABA news agency admitted to taking food aid from a World Food Program warehouse without permission,acknowledging that they took about 20% of the available aid. The UN suspended operations in Saada in February over security concerns following the detentions of UN workers and others, with one WFP staffer dying while imprisoned by the Houthis.
Source: https://time.com/7270075/trump-threatens-houthi-rebels-airstrikes-yemen/
