President Trump has warned Iran-backed Houthis that “their time is up” after ordering deadly strikes in Yemen. The attack follows months of rising hostility, with the Houthis targeting US and commercial ships in the Red Sea.
BY PC Bureau
The United States launched large-scale airstrikes on Yemen, killing at least 24 people, including civilians, in an operation targeting the Iran-backed Houthi movement. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to the Houthis, declaring, “Their time is up,” and called on Iran to immediately halt its support for the group.
The strikes, the first since Trump took office in January, targeted Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, and the northern province of Saada. According to reports, 13 civilians were killed in Sanaa, while 11 others, including four children and a woman, died in Saada. Residents described the explosions as violent, with one witness telling Reuters, “The blasts shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children.”
The Houthis’ political bureau condemned the strikes as a “war crime” and vowed retaliation, stating that their forces were “fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation.” Trump, citing the Houthis’ repeated attacks on Red Sea shipping, vowed to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the US achieves its objective. In a social media post, he issued a direct threat: “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”
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Trump Warns Iran:
Trump also warned Iran, demanding it immediately cease its support for the Houthis. “Do NOT threaten the American People, their President… or worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable, and we won’t be nice about it!” he wrote. In response, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi dismissed the US warnings, stating that Washington “has no authority to dictate Iranian foreign policy.” He accused the US of supporting “Israeli genocide and terrorism” and called for an end to military actions in Yemen.
❗️US airstrike hit Yemen’s Houthis — Al Arabiya#Sana#Yemen pic.twitter.com/AKN1ZFaorU
— MOHAMMAD AHSAN🎗️ (@MOHAMMAD_AARSH) March 15, 2025
Earlier this month, the Trump administration reclassified the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization,” banning US entities from engaging with them. The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen over the past decade, have launched repeated attacks on ships off their coast since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in October 2023, disrupting global trade. The group claims its actions are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Since 2023, they have reportedly attacked US warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times.
The strikes mark a major escalation in US-Houthi tensions, raising fears of further retaliation and instability in the region.
Background on the Houthis and Their Conflict with the US
The Houthis, also known as Ansar Allah, are an Iran-backed armed group that emerged in northern Yemen in the 1990s. Originally a religious movement opposing Saudi influence and government corruption, they have since become a dominant military and political force in Yemen’s civil war. The group took control of the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, sparking a conflict with a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
The Houthis have been at odds with the US primarily due to their ties to Iran and their attacks on international shipping. Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, they have targeted Red Sea shipping routes, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. The US has responded with military action, viewing the Houthis’ attacks as a threat to global trade and regional stability.
