US President Donald Trump issued a stern warning on Wednesday and stated that Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels would be “totally annihilated” as the United States stepped up its military campaign against the group. He also threatened Iran with stopping its support for the Houthis, and he demanded an immediate stop to the supply of arms and resources.
“Iran needs to immediately stop sending these supplies. Let the Houthis fight it out amongst themselves. Either way, they lose, but this way, they lose fast,” Trump posted on his Truth Social website.
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US responded with a new wave of airstrikes on Houthi sites in Yemen following their sustained attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis have attacked more than 100 merchant ships since November 2023 with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors. The group has rationalized its attacks by saying that they are designed to pressure Israel into halting its war on Hamas in Gaza.
Trump rationalized the attacks on the grounds of calling the behavior of the Houthis an “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism” with a highlight on the very serious disruption the attacks have led to in worldwide trade routes. The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden are key straits for shipments of energy as well as cargoes between Europe and Asia through Egypt’s Suez Canal.
We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” Trump stated, reaffirming his administration’s resolve to eradicating the threat of the Houthis.
The military buildup represents a major shift in US engagement in Yemen’s war, further testing relations with Iran. As tensions escalate, international shipping industries are on high alert, concerned with ongoing instability in one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes.
