U.S. Increases Pressure on Yemen’s Houthis with New Airstrike
On Monday, the United States conducted additional airstrikes in Yemen, as reported by the Houthis’ Al Masirah TV. This marks an expansion of the largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump’s inauguration in January. The airstrikes follow a U.S. response to the Iran-backed Houthi movement’s threats against international shipping, with new attacks launched on Saturday. On Monday, the targets included the Red Sea port of Hodeidah and the Al Jawf region, located north of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
According to Houthi health ministry spokesperson Anees Alsbahi, the airstrikes resulted in at least 53 fatalities, with five children and two women among the deceased. Additionally, 98 individuals were reported injured, as stated by Alsbahi on social media.
The Houthis, an armed group that has controlled much of Yemen for the past decade, have carried out numerous attacks on maritime vessels off their coast since November 2023, disrupting global trade. In response, the U.S. has launched operations to intercept missiles and drones, depleting its air defense resources.
U.S. officials indicated that these airstrikes may continue for several weeks, coinciding with an increased U.S. effort to impose sanctions on Iran while seeking to engage the country in nuclear negotiations.
In response to the ongoing U.S. attacks, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi declared on Sunday that the group would continue targeting U.S. ships in the Red Sea as long as the U.S. military operations in Yemen persisted. “If they continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation,” he stated in a televised address.
The Houthi political bureau condemned the U.S. airstrikes as a “war crime,” and Russia called for an immediate cessation of these attacks.
The Houthis’ military spokesperson also claimed, without providing evidence, that they had launched a second attack on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea.
Meanwhile, Israel has weakened much of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” in the Middle East, which includes groups such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas, challenging U.S. influence in the region. Significant figures within Hamas and Hezbollah have been killed, and the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad in December further weakened Iran’s position in the region. Despite these developments, the Houthis and other pro-Iran militias in Iraq remain resilient and active.
The Houthis also warned last week that they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels transiting the Red Sea if Israel did not lift its blockade on humanitarian aid entering Gaza. Following the outbreak of conflict between Israel and Hamas in late 2023, the Houthis launched numerous attacks on shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
