The Houthi rebels in Yemen have threatened to attack United States warships in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s “preemptive” airstrikes. The de facto Yemeni authorities have vowed retaliation for the ongoing deadly bombing campaign.

Trump has already ordered the Pentagon to carry out a “decisive and powerful” operation. On Saturday, the airstrikes struck the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah, aiming to dismantle the Houthi leadership and their ability to disrupt vital shipping lanes in the region. The first round of US strikes overnight killed at least 53 people, including women and children, and left nearly 100 injured, according to Yemen’s Houthi-run Health Ministry.

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On Sunday night, the U.S. reportedly launched another series of strikes targeting Hodeidah, which houses an international airport and three vital ports, according to the Houthi-affiliated Al Masirah TV and other local media outlets such as RT. A U.S. defense official claimed that about a dozen attack drones were intercepted and neutralized.

These airstrikes will be met with force as the Houthis threaten to hit U.S. warships. Sayyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi, delivered a fiery speech condemning the attacks and threatening direct military action against American naval forces.

The Ansar Allah movement, commonly known as the Houthis, has controlled a large part of war-torn Yemen since the mid-2010s. The group launched dozens of strikes on international shipping assets in late 2023 as part of a campaign staged in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Initially blocking only Israeli-linked maritime traffic, the Houthis later expanded their targets to include American and British commercial and military ships after a series of joint US-UK strikes on Yemen.

The group put its campaign on hold in January after Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas reached a fragile US-mediated ceasefire. However, last week, they pledged to resume attacks on Israeli ships, accusing West Jerusalem of ignoring the terms of the deal and “starving” people in Gaza. –RT

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