US President Trump announced on the 15th that he had ordered "decisive and powerful military action" against the Houthi armed forces in Yemen. The Houthi armed forces said that the Yemeni capital Sanaa was hit by five air strikes on the evening of the 15th, killing at least 9 people and injuring 9.
Trump posted on social media that day that the US military was attacking Houthi leaders, military bases, and air defense systems. He called the Houthis "terrorists" who have frequently attacked US and its allies' ships, aircraft, and drones in the Red Sea over the past year or so, and said that he would use "overwhelming lethal force" to strike the Houthis, while warning Iran that it must immediately stop supporting the Houthis.
According to U.S. media reports, the U.S. military launched a large-scale military operation against Yemen from the air and sea that day, focusing on attacking the Houthi armed forces' radar, air defense, missile and drone systems, with the aim of opening up the Red Sea shipping lanes. U.S. officials said the military operation will last for several days and will be the most important military operation since the start of Trump's second term, and is also intended to send a warning signal to Iran.
According to Masirah TV, which is controlled by the Houthi armed forces in Yemen, Sana'a was hit by five air strikes that night, including a university and a military base of the Houthi armed forces, killing at least nine people and injuring another nine. Local residents in Sana'a told reporters that the targets of the US military's air strikes on Sana'a that day included an ammunition depot and weapons depot at a military base of the Houthi armed forces.
Yahya Sariya, spokesman for the Yemeni Houthi armed forces, delivered a video speech on Masira TV on the 11th, announcing that the ban on all Israeli ships passing through designated areas such as the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden will be restored immediately, and military strikes will be carried out on Israeli ships that violate the ban.
In January this year, Trump signed an executive order to re-designate the Yemeni Houthi armed forces as a "foreign terrorist organization." The executive order overturned the executive order of former President Biden four years ago that removed the Houthi armed forces from the list of "foreign terrorist organizations."
After a new round of Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out in October 2023, the Houthi armed forces in Yemen used drones and missiles to attack targets in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, demanding that Israel stop its military operations in the Gaza Strip. Since January 12th, 2024, the United States and the United Kingdom have launched air strikes on Houthi armed targets many times, causing casualties.
According to the Houthi armed forces' health department on the 16th, the air strike on the 15th has caused 53 deaths and 98 injuries. The Houthi armed forces said they would respond with "further escalation" actions.
On the evening of the 16th local time, Abdul Malik Houthi, the leader of the Yemeni Houthi armed forces, delivered a speech saying that all US aircraft carriers and warships would be targeted by the Houthi armed forces, and accused the United States of turning the ocean into a battlefield and affecting international shipping.
At the same time, he also said that if the United States continues its military operations against the Houthis, the Houthis will escalate their retaliatory measures.
