The United States will continue striking Yemen’s Houthis until they halt attacks on shipping, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned group warned of possible escalation in response to deadly US airstrikes the previous day.
The airstrikes, which the Houthi-run health ministry claimed killed at least 53 people, marked the largest US military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. A US official told Reuters that the campaign could last for weeks.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi warned on Sunday that his forces would target US ships in the Red Sea as long as the attacks on Yemen continued. “If they continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation,” he said in a televised speech.
The Houthis’ political bureau condemned the US strikes as a “war crime,” while Russia called on Washington to halt its military actions.
Early Monday, the Houthis’ military spokesman claimed, without evidence, that the group had launched a second attack on the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea. A US official told Reuters that American warplanes had shot down 11 Houthi drones on Sunday, none of which posed a direct threat to the Truman. US forces also tracked a missile that landed off the coast of Yemen but was not deemed a threat.
Hegseth, speaking on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, said: “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.”
“This is about stopping the shooting at assets … in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long,” he added. “They better back off.”
The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen for nearly a decade, said last week they would resume targeting Israeli ships in the Red Sea if Israel did not lift restrictions on aid entering Gaza.
They had previously launched dozens of attacks on shipping following the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas in late 2023, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
Trump also issued a warning to Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, demanding it cease support for the group immediately. “If Iran threatens the United States, America will hold you fully accountable, and we won’t be nice about it!” he said.
In response, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander, Hossein Salami, insisted the Houthis act independently. “We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats,” he told state media.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
Follow us on:
