Houthis vow response as US says ‘unrelenting’ strikes to continue in Yemen

After the United States ruled over airstrikes against the group that left at least 31 people dead on Saturday, Yemen’s Houthis have pledged to retaliate and “meet escalation with escalation.”

The deadly strikes, according to the Houthi political bureau, were a “war crime” on Sunday.

At least 31 people were killed and 101 were hurt, according to Houthi Health Ministry spokesman Anis Al-Asbahi, who said the attacks on Saturday targeted the capital Sanaa and Saada, Al Bayda, and Radaa, “the majority of whom were children and women.”

US President Donald Trump declared that he would use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Houthis stop attacking ships along the crucial maritime corridor in the Red Sea after ordering the attacks.

In separate statements, the Houthis reiterated on Sunday that the “naval operation will continue until]the] Gaza blockade is lifted and aid is provided. They started their attacks on shipping containers in response to Israel’s war against Gaza in 2023.

The Houthis have not launched any attacks in the past two months and have not yet started a new attack campaign since the Gaza ceasefire was implemented in January.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made the announcement at the beginning of March that Hamas would no longer accept aid deliveries to Gaza in an effort to pressure the country into agreeing to the ceasefire deal’s extension rather than moving forward with the negotiations that would put an end to the conflict.

After Israel’s deadline for allowing the resumed delivery of aid to Gaza expired, the Houthis announced on Tuesday that they would resume attacks.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared on Sunday that until the Houthis’ attacks are over, Washington would launch “unrelenting” strikes against them.

Hegseth told Fox News that the campaign was a response to the numerous ship attacks launched by the Houthis since November 2023 and that it was a call for Iran to stop supporting the organization.

“This will continue until you say, “We’re done shooting at ships,” you say. Hegseth said, “We’re done shooting at assets.”

Since January 2024, when Israel’s conflict in Gaza raged and the Houthis’ sustained maritime campaign was in full swing, the US and some of its allies have repeatedly bombed Yemen with cruise missiles.

The US military campaign will continue until the group is unable to strike ships, according to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. He attributed Iran’s support to the Houthis.

According to US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, the strikes “actually targeted and expelled a number of Houthi leaders.”

The Houthis have not received any confirmation regarding Waltz’s remarks.

‘Misguided’

Former US diplomat Nabeel Khoury claimed that Trump’s decision to attack the Houthis is “misguided.”

According to Khoury, the Houthis, who have previously been “bombed severely all over their territory,” are unlikely to be restrained by “a few weeks of bombing,” adding that diplomatic efforts could be used to stop attacks on shipping containers.

General Hossein Salami, the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), denied that his country was involved in the Houthis’ attacks as Trump warned Iran to stop supporting them and pledged to hold Tehran “fully accountable” for its actions.

Salami, a spokesperson for state-run TV, claimed on Sunday that Iran “no longer plays a role in determining the regional organizations’ national or operational policies.”