Over 132 Killed in US Airstrikes on Yemen

“We will respond to the recent escalation with further escalation,” a Houthi spokesperson told NBC News. “Our reply will not be delayed.”

On Saturday, the United States launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen, killing at least 132 people, according to the Houthi health ministry. A rebel spokesperson told NBC News that their group will respond with “more escalation.”

On Saturday, President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen, promising to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the rebels stopped attacking shipping along a critical maritime corridor.

In response to the Gaza conflict, the Houthis, an Iran-backed militia that has taken control of a portion of Yemen, began launching missiles and drones, among other attacks on shipping vessels.

The group reported explosions Saturday evening in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and Saada, a Houthi stronghold near Saudi Arabia, with more airstrikes expected early Sunday. Images posted online showed black smoke rising from Sanaa’s airport complex, which includes a military base. Strikes also took place in Hodeida, Bayda, and Marib.

The attack occurred just a few days after the Houthis announced that they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing off Yemen in response to Israel’s latest blockade of Gaza, which has halted aid deliveries to the enclave. Since the threat, no attacks have been reported.

Speaking to NBC News on Sunday, Houthi spokesperson Nasr el-Din Amer stated that the majority of the people killed in the airstrikes were women and children and that the group would keep up its operations “until the blockade on Gaza is lifted.”

“We will escalate further in response to the recent escalation,” he declared. “Our response will not be delayed.”

Trump also pledged to hold Iran “fully accountable” for the actions of its proxy Houthi group and warned the country to cease aiding the rebel group. Tehran provides the Houthis with funding, equipment, and training.

Hossein Salami, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, told Iranian state media that Iran would “respond decisively and destructively” to any adversary that acts on threats.

Salami, however, also disassociated Iran from the Houthis, stressing that the group decided on its own strategy.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran plays no role in shaping the national or operational policies of any resistance front group,” he stated, potentially signaling that the Houthis are on their own.

The Red Sea sees an annual flow of $1 trillion in goods.

Between the start of Israel’s war with Hamas in late 2023 and January of this year, when the current ceasefire in Gaza went into effect, the Houthis targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two and killing four sailors.

Following the attacks late last year, some shippers suspended service in the region.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization. Joe Biden’s Democratic administration revoked the designation, citing concerns that it would jeopardize aid delivery to Yemen, which was regarded as one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

By :-  Next Tech Plus