The New York Times: U.S. Strikes Against Houthis to Continue for Several Days and May Expand Depending on Their Response
Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
The New York Times quoted U.S. officials as saying that targeting the Houthi arsenal could continue for several days and may expand in scope depending on their response. Security officials also favor a stronger campaign to strip the Houthis of control over parts of the country.
The newspaper explained that “the strikes aim to open international shipping corridors in the Red Sea, which the Houthis have disrupted. Additionally, the U.S. bombardment seeks to send a warning signal to Iran.”
It pointed out that the strikes, ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, targeted radars, air defenses, missile systems, and drones.
Earlier today, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the U.S. military to launch a decisive operation against the Houthis in Yemen.
Trump stated that this operation is a response to the Houthis’ ongoing campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American ships, aircraft, and drones, in addition to other threats.
He also criticized the response of former President Joe Biden’s administration to these attacks, calling it “pathetically weak,” which, he argued, led to the Houthis escalating their attacks and becoming more reckless in the region.
On Wednesday, the armed group announced that it would resume its ban on ship crossings through the sea, after a halt that began in January with the ceasefire in Gaza.
Last week, the U.S. State Department announced its decision to reclassify the Houthi group as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization,” following President Donald Trump’s earlier call for such a move this year.
In January, Trump reinstated the Houthis on the list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations—a change that could lead to stricter economic sanctions in response to their attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and against U.S. warships.
