RT.com
17 Mar 2025, 06:04 GMT+10
The de facto Yemeni authorities have vowed retaliation for the ongoing deadly bombing campaign
The US has reportedly launched new airstrikes targeting the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah after the leader of the Houthi movement, Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi, delivered a fiery speech condemning the attacks and threatening direct military action against American naval forces.
US President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to carry out a "decisive and powerful military action" on Saturday, aiming to dismantle the Houthi ability to disrupt vital shipping lanes in the region. The first round of US strikes overnight killed at least 53 people and left nearly 100 injured, according to Yemen's Houthi-run health ministry.
In his speech on Sunday, al-Houthi urged the Yemeni people to mobilize in their millions to confront the American "escalation with escalation," insisting that Yemen would not be pressured into submission.
"The American aircraft carrier and warships will be our target, and the decision to ban navigation will include the US as long as it continues its aggression," he declared.
The Houthis claimed to have targeted the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the northern Red Sea with a volley of 18 ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as drones, earlier on Sunday. However, a senior US defense official told Fox News that approximately a dozen attack drones were intercepted and neutralized before posing a serious threat to the carrier group, leaving the Truman and its accompanying vessels unaffected.
The Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has controlled a large part of war-torn Yemen since the mid-2010s. The group launched dozens of strikes on international shipping assets in late 2023 as part of a campaign staged in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Initially blocking only Israeli-linked maritime traffic, the Houthis later expanded their targets to include American and British commercial and military ships after a series of joint US-UK strikes on Yemen.
The group put its campaign on hold in January after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a fragile US-mediated ceasefire. However, last week, they pledged to resume attacks on Israeli ships, accusing West Jerusalem of ignoring the terms of the deal and "starving" the residents of Gaza.
The latest warning adds US military vessels - but not commercial ships - to the list of potential targets by the group, which was recently redesignated by the Trump administration as a terrorist organization.
On Sunday night, the US allegedly launched another series of strikes targeting the key Yemeni city of Hodeidah, which houses an international airport and three vital ports, according to the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV and other local media.
Without listing the targets of the latest sorties, the US Central Command confirmed that its forces "continue operations against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists." Washington has previously indicated no intention of stopping its campaign until the Houthi threat is eliminated.
"The minute the Houthis say we'll stop shooting at your ships, we'll stop shooting at your drones, this campaign will end. But until then, it will be unrelenting," Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures.
Get a daily dose of Middle East Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Middle East Star.
More InformationWINNIPEG, Manitoba: Farmers in the U.S. and Canada are bracing for soaring fertilizer prices as trade tensions escalate between the...
Washington has threatened additional attacks on the country, including on alleged Iranian assets ...
Amaravathi (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 16 (ANI): In a significant development, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO)...
The new US administration has created more uncertainty than the pandemic, the European Central Bank vice president has claimed Washington...
New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI): Interacting with renowned podcaster Lex Fridman, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday spoke about...
New Delhi [India], March 16 (ANI): Air India Express will operate 40 weekly flights from Hindon Airport, directly connecting five key...
The Voice of America may not live up to its ambitious name for much longer. Michael Abramowitz, the director of VOA, said in a Facebook...
WASHINGTON, DC - U.S. President Donald Trump has joined Israel's war on Yemen's Houthis, days after the group said it would resume...
LOMPOC, California: NASA launched a new telescope into space this week to study the origins of the universe and search for hidden water...
AUSTIN/SANTA FE: Texas/New Mexico have reported 28 new measles cases in the past five days, bringing the total to 256 since the outbreak...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced that helicopters will be permanently banned from flying near Washington...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: The U.S. must accelerate its efforts to develop fusion energy or risk losing its edge to China, Virginia Governor...