Egypt Daily News – US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said on Sunday that the United States will continue attacking the Houthis in Yemen until they halt their attacks on shipping, while the Iran-aligned group indicated it might escalate its attacks in response to deadly strikes carried out by Washington on Saturday.
The Houthi-run Ministry of Health said at least 31 people were killed in these airstrikes, marking the largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January.
A U.S. official said that the campaign could last for weeks.
Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi stated on Sunday that the group would target U.S. ships in the Red Sea as long as the United States continued its attacks on Yemen. In a televised speech, he said, “If their aggression continues, we will continue to escalate.”
The Houthis’ political office described the attacks as a “full-fledged war crime.”
In a statement, it said, “Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to counter escalation with escalation.” Moscow urged Washington to halt the strikes.
The Houthi military spokesperson said on Sunday that the group had targeted the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its warships in the Red Sea with ballistic missiles and drones in response to the American attacks.
A U.S. defense official, speaking anonymously, denied these claims, stating that they had no knowledge of any Houthi attack on the Truman.
Hegseth told Fox News, “The moment the Houthis say, ‘We will stop bombing your ships and drones,’ this campaign will end. But until then, it will continue relentlessly.”
He added, “This is about stopping the targeting of assets… in that vital waterway and restoring normal shipping traffic, which is a fundamental national interest for the United States. Iran has been assisting the Houthis for a very long time… they would be wise to back down.”
The Houthi group, which has controlled most of Yemen for the past ten years, announced last week that it would resume attacks on Israeli ships passing through Red Sea shipping lanes if Israel did not lift the blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on cargo ships in solidarity with the Palestinians amid Israel’s war in Gaza.
Trump also issued a warning to Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, stating that it must immediately stop supporting the group. He said that if Iran threatened the U.S., “America will hold you fully accountable, and we will not tolerate it.”
Iran Warns the U.S. Against Escalation
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard commander-in-chief, Hossein Salami, said that the Houthis make their own decisions. Speaking to state media, Salami warned, “We caution our enemies that Iran will firmly respond to any threat, and if they carry out their threats, our response will be devastating.”
United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said on Sunday that Secretary-General António Guterres called for “maximum restraint and an end to all military activities” in Yemen. In a statement, he added, “Any further escalation could heighten regional tensions, increase retaliatory actions, further destabilize Yemen and the region, and pose serious risks to the already dire humanitarian situation in the country.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News, “The Houthis would not have been able to commit such acts without Iran’s support. So, this was a message to Iran: Do not continue supporting them, because you will also be held accountable for their attacks on warships and global shipping.”
Moscow said on Sunday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called his American counterpart Rubio, urging him to “immediately stop using force and reminding him of the importance of engaging all parties in political dialogue.”
Anis al-Asbahi, the spokesperson for the Houthi-controlled Ministry of Health, said on Sunday that most of the 31 confirmed dead in the U.S. strikes were women and children. He added that there were over 100 injured.
The Pentagon has not yet responded to requests for comment on civilian casualties.
Residents in Sanaa said the airstrikes targeted a neighborhood known to house several Houthi leadership members. A resident who identified himself as Abdullah Yahya told Reuters, “The explosions were violent and shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children.”
In Sanaa, a crane and bulldozer were used to remove rubble at one site, while people searched through debris with their bare hands. At a hospital, medics treated the wounded, including children, and Reuters footage showed several bodies wrapped in plastic sheeting in a courtyard.
Two witnesses said on Sunday that the strikes also targeted Houthi military sites in the southwestern city of Taiz.
Red Sea Attacks
Al-Masirah TV reported early Sunday that another airstrike on a power station in the town of Dhahyan, in Saada, had caused a blackout. Dhahyan is a location where Houthi leaders often meet with visitors.
Houthi attacks on shipping have disrupted global trade and prompted the U.S. military to launch an interception campaign against their missiles and drones, depleting American air defense stockpiles. The Houthis had not launched new attacks on Red Sea shipping since Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza in January.
However, on March 12, the Houthi military spokesperson stated that the group’s threat to attack Israeli ships would remain in effect until Israel resumed allowing aid and food shipments into Gaza.
