Trump orders wave of airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen

The White House has made no secret of the tough stance President Donald Trump intends to pursue in the Middle East, and developments that unfolded this weekend were no exception.

On Saturday, Trump himself took to Truth Social to announce that he had ordered “decisive and powerful” airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, as Fox News reports.

Trump orders airstrikes

In explaining his decision, Trump declared, “Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.”

The president further articulated his belief that the Biden administration's ineptitude emboldened the rebels in pursuing their campaign.

“It has been over a year since a U.S. flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden. The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times,” Trump wrote.

The commander in chief continued, “Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk.”

Speaking more directly to the targets of the airstrikes, Trump added, “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY,” and he also instructed Iran to end support to the rebel group immediately, stating that its leaders do otherwise, “America will hold you fully accountable and we won't be nice about it!”

Iran threatens potential response

As ABC News reports, on Sunday, an Iranian general warned that a “decisive and devastating” response may follow any further threat, while also denying any backing of the Houthi rebel group.

Gen. Hossein Salami delivered a speech in which he declared, “We are not a nation to live in hiding. We are a valid and legitimate system in the world. We announce it if we attack anywhere.

A representative of the Houthis also floated retaliatory intentions, declaring that the group “will not hesitate to target all American warships in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea in response to the aggression against [the] country.”

Even so, according to Reuters, the Trump administration has stated its intention to continue attacking the Houthis until all attacks on shipping are ended, with the campaign carrying the potential to last for weeks.

With a U.S. official having confirmed to ABC News that American air and naval assets succeeded in hitting dozens of Houthi targets, such as radars, missiles, and drone and air defense systems, the rebel group would probably be wise to heed those warnings, but whether that will be the case, only time will tell.