The White House has confirmed that multiple Houthi leaders were killed in US airstrikes in Yemen on Saturday, while issuing a stark warning to Iran over its backing of the rebel group and its attacks on Red Sea shipping.
National Security Adviser Michael Waltz stated that the strikes had successfully “targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out”, adding that Washington had sent a clear message to Tehran. “We just hit them with overwhelming force and put Iran on notice that enough is enough,” Waltz said on Fox News.
The strikes, the first against the Yemeni rebels since President Donald Trump returned to office, killed at least 31 people and injured 101, according to the Houthi-controlled health ministry.
The Iran-backed Houthis, who have controlled large parts of Yemen for over a decade, have intensified their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming they are acting in protest against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.
Since the outbreak of the war—sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023—the Houthis have launched numerous drone and missile strikes on commercial vessels. The US Department of Defense reports that American warships have been targeted 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023, threatening a vital maritime route that handles approximately 12% of global trade.
Trump’s warning to the Houthis and Iran
President Trump, in a statement on his social media platform Truth Social, directly addressed the Houthi leadership, writing: “YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”
The latest escalation also comes amid renewed tensions with Iran over its nuclear programme. Last month, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proposing nuclear negotiations but warned that failure to reach an agreement could lead to military action. Tehran dismissed the proposal, stating it would not engage in talks under the threat of force.
Waltz reiterated the US position, warning that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. All options are on the table to ensure it does not have one.” He added: “They can either hand it over and give it up in a way that is verifiable, or they can face a whole series of other consequences.”
With tensions in the Middle East at boiling point, the Biden administration’s next steps could have significant implications for both regional and global security.