US President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on Houthi territory in Yemen on Monday. At least 31 people were killed and 101 wounded, including in the capital Sanaa, according to health officials. The strikes are the most extensive military operation of Trump's second term. The Houthis are allied with the Hamas movement in Gaza.
Foreign media outlets quoted Sanaa residents as saying the attacks targeted buildings near known Houthi bases.
U.S. officials say the strikes are the president's first step toward reopening shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The Houthi political wing has called the attacks a war crime and vowed to respond.
U.S. officials told The New York Times that the attacks were the start of a new offensive against the Houthis, with more expected in the coming weeks, and were intended to send a clear message to Iran that Trump is trying to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program.
Trump said on social media site Truth Social today that the US would respond if Iran did not stop supporting the Houthis. The Iranian foreign minister responded by saying the US had no authority to interfere in Iran's foreign affairs. He called on the US to stop attacking Yemen.
Since the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023, the Houthis have launched hundreds of attacks on cargo ships sailing in the Red Sea that they say are linked to the State of Israel. Two ships have since been sunk and four crew members killed.
The attacks have had a significant impact on shipping passing through the Red Sea, with companies avoiding the Red Sea and hundreds of ships instead taking a much longer route around the South African coast.
