US President Donald Trump ordered military attacks against sites in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia after months of disruption to shipping lanes in the Red Sea.
Trump said on Saturday the strikes came in response to the Houthis’ maritime attacks on vessels sailing through the Suez Canal and southern Red Sea, ostensibly in solidarity with Hamas following the 2023 outbreak of its war with Israel in Gaza.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed the military operation with Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement posted Sunday on Telegram.
Lavrov called for an immediate halt to using force in the region, stressing the importance of all parties to enter political dialogue, the ministry said, adding that the call was initiated by the US.
The US strikes were described as more far-reaching than those undertaken under former President Joe Biden, and were set to last days, if not weeks, an administration official said.
“These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk,” Trump said in a post on his social media platform Truth Social. “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” he said.
The full scale and scope of the US military attacks weren’t immediately clear. Spokespeople for the White House National Security Council didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. The campaign was previously reported by the New York Times.
The Houthi health ministry said 31 people were killed and at least 191 injured in strikes on Sana’a, Saada and Albaydha provinces. Most of the casualties were women and children, the ministry said, according to the Houthi-run Saba news agency.
Trump added in a later post on X: “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP…”
The repeated attacks have prompted most Western shippers to avoid the area and go around southern Africa instead when traveling between Europe and Asia — a longer and more costly route.
The military action comes days after the Houthi militant group vowed to resume attacking Israeli ships if more aid doesn’t reach Gaza.
The US, UK and Israel have carried out other airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen since early 2024 in an effort to stop assaults on ships and on Israel. Those strikes had been halted since a truce in Gaza began in January.
With assistance from Susanne Barton, Mohammed Hatem and Mark Sweetman.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.