Yemen Monitor / Washington / Exclusive:
U.S. officials have stated that airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen will continue indefinitely after the first round on Saturday killed at least 31 people and injured up to 100 others.
The strikes, which U.S. officials claim are meant to punish the Houthis for their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, mark the first use of US military force in the region since Trump took office in January.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News: “The moment the Houthis say, ‘We will stop firing on your ships, we will stop firing on your drones,’ this campaign will end. But until then, it will be relentless.”
Hegseth was among several top officials who emphasized that the strikes were intended to signal a firm new approach toward Iran and the broader Middle East.
Michael Waltz, the U.S. National Security Advisor, stated in separate interviews that the strikes “targeted and eliminated several Houthi leaders” and involved “the use of overwhelming force to send a clear message to Iran: enough is enough.”
Earlier, Trump posted on his platform, Truth Social:
“I say to the Houthi terrorists that your time is up and your attacks must stop, or hell will rain down on you as you have never seen before.”
He added: “To Iran: Stop supporting the Houthi terrorists immediately!”
U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, described Saturday’s strikes as the beginning of a large-scale operation across Yemen. Fighter jets from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, stationed in the Red Sea, carried out the attacks. A Pentagon official stated that the strikes could last for weeks.
On Sunday, the Houthis claimed to have attacked the U.S. aircraft carrier with 18 drones, a ballistic missile, and a cruise missile.
