At least 53 people, including 5 women and 2 children, were killed in US air strikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa and other areas. More than 100 people were injured in these attacks. The US military carried out these attacks on the bases of Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who are accused of continuously attacking international ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis say they are taking this action in support of Palestinians in Gaza. In response, the US tried to stop these attacks by bombing Houthi bases.
US President Donald Trump warned that if the Houthis continue to attack ships, the US will retaliate on a larger scale. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the US will continue attacks until the Houthi rebels’ attacking capability is completely destroyed. The US claims that several Houthi leaders were targeted in these attacks and their military facilities were destroyed, although the names of the killed leaders were not made public.
The Houthi rebels said they would not tolerate these attacks and threatened retaliation. They say that if the US escalates the tension, they too will not back down. This tension has been going on for a long time. The Houthis had stopped the attacks after the Gaza ceasefire in January, but recently they had talked about targeting Israeli ships again.
After this latest US action, if the Houthi rebels retaliate, the conflict in Yemen may deepen further. This situation can pose a threat to regional stability, as the Houthis’ ties with Iran and the US’ military strategy make it complicated. It will be important to keep an eye on the situation in the coming days.