The Houthi rebels in Yemen have said that 53 people, including five children, were killed in the United States air strikes over the weekend.
The US military launched the strikes on Saturday, saying it was responding to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. President Donald Trump described the strikes as “decisive and powerful.”
The US government claimed that some senior Houthi figures were among the dead, but the Houthis have not confirmed this.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi warned that his fighters would continue attacking US ships in the Red Sea if the US did not stop its strikes on Yemen.
“We will not remain silent while Yemen is under attack,” he said.
A spokesperson for the Houthi health ministry, Anis al-Asbahi, posted on social media that the death toll had risen to 53, with 98 others injured. He added that the casualties included “five children and two women.”
A resident of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, identified only as Ahmed, told AFP, “I’ve been living here for 10 years, hearing shelling throughout the war. By God, I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”
The Houthis also claimed that new US strikes targeted locations in Al Jaouf and Hudaydah on Monday, though the US has not yet commented on this.
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told ABC News that Saturday’s strikes “targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out.”
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth also warned that the strikes would continue. “I want to be very clear, this campaign is about freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence,” he said in an interview.
President Trump, while announcing the strikes, said, “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.” He accused the Houthis of “piracy, violence, and terrorism” that had caused billions of dollars in damage.
In a direct warning to the Houthis, Trump wrote on social media, “HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE” if the attacks did not stop.
Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, criticised the US actions, saying, “End support for Israeli genocide and terrorism. Stop killing of Yemeni people.”
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for “utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities” in Yemen.
The Houthis have linked their attacks to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, saying they are acting in support of Palestinians. They have claimed responsibility for attacks on US warships in the Red Sea, but a US official told Reuters that American forces had shot down 11 Houthi drones on Sunday, none of which came close to the USS Harry S. Truman.
The situation in the region remains tense, with fears that further military actions could escalate the conflict.
