Yemen Monitor / Sana’a / Exclusive:
The U.S. news site Axios reported on Saturday that U.S. attacks on the Houthis will not be a one-time event but rather the beginning of a series of American strikes expected to last for weeks.
A U.S. official stated that Saturday’s strikes were not a single operation but the start of an “unrelenting” campaign against the Houthis, expected to continue for days or even weeks.
Sources told Yemen Monitor that the U.S. airstrikes targeted Houthi positions in Sana’a and Sa’ada.
President Trump said the strikes targeted “terrorist bases, leaders, and missile defenses.”
The U.S. official noted that Trump ordered the Pentagon to begin preparing military plans against the Houthis after his decision to reclassify them as a terrorist organization, a few weeks after taking office.
Following the downing of a U.S. military drone by the Houthis two weeks ago, preparations for the strikes accelerated. In recent days, the primary concern was determining the best operational timing for the attacks, according to the official.
The official added that Trump approved the attack plan on Friday and issued the final order for execution on Saturday. Trump’s administration had informed a small number of key allies in advance.
Other concerned allies and senior members of Congress were notified after the strikes had begun.
Trump wrote on the social media platform “Truth“: Today, I ordered the U.S. military to launch a decisive and powerful military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terror against American ships, aircraft, and drones, as well as other aircraft and drones.”
