U.S. President Donald Trump ordered wide-scale airstrikes against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen in response to their attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The U.S. airstrikes targeted areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen, killing at least 31 people and injuring 101, according to a new casualty report released by the Houthi-controlled Health Ministry.
The strikes hit the capital, Sana’a, as well as the provinces of Saada in northwestern Yemen and Al Bayda and the city of Rada’a in central Yemen, according to Houthi Health Ministry spokesperson Anis Al Asbahi. The Houthi political office condemned the attacks as a “war crime.”
“Our armed forces in Yemen are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation,” the group stated.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the United States to stop its airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, according to a statement from the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the Russian ministry added.
Iran’s Response to Trump’s Threats
The United States has “no right to dictate” Tehran’s foreign policy, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi declared after Trump demanded that Iran “immediately” cease its support for Houthi rebels in Yemen.
“The U.S. government has no authority and no right to dictate Iran’s foreign policy,” Araghchi wrote on X, calling for an end to the killing of the Yemeni people.
The Houthis, who receive financial and military support from Iran, are part of Tehran’s so-called “axis of resistance,” an informal alliance of regional armed groups opposed to Israel, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Trump warned Iran on Saturday to “immediately” stop supporting the “terrorist Houthis.”
“America will hold you fully accountable, and we will not be kind!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
