U.S. Initiates Military Strikes in Yemen

President Trump stated that he had instructed "strong and decisive" American assaults against Yemen's Houthi insurgents following their pledge to restart attacks on vessels navigating the Red Sea and adjacent areas. He emphasized that they would face retaliation with such force that "it would seem like hell has descended," aiming to neutralize the rebels' activities.

Our courageous service members are currently conducting airstrikes against the terrorists' strongholds, leadership, and missile defense systems to safeguard American ships, aircraft, and naval resources, as well as to reinstate freedom of navigation," Trump shared Saturday via his Truth Social account. "Not a single terrorist group will prevent U.S. merchant and naval vessels from safely traversing the world’s waterways.

The U.S. will hold the Houthis "fully responsible," according to the president. The Houthis are one of the factions involved in Yemen’s conflict. long-running civil war .

Local sources reported multiple explosions occurring on Saturday near the capital city, Sana'a. According to a health ministry representative affiliated with the Houthis, at least 31 civilians lost their lives and another 101 sustained injuries on that day. The spokesperson for the ministry condemned this act strongly on X, stating, "This blatant attack on civilians and civilian locations constitutes an outright war crime."

Sources close to the situation indicated that among the targets struck were the residences of Houthi leadership members living in the capital. The airstrikes impacted the town of Sa'dah, which serves as the Houthis' main bastion, along with the Jeraf district in Sana'a, another significant Houthi hub.

Military leaders in the U.S. characterized the attacks from Saturday as the start of an ongoing operation aimed at the insurgent faction. According to a U.S. defense official, the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, which is presently active in the area, spearheaded the American military retaliation.

The mission involved "precise attacks on Iranian-supported Houthi sites throughout Yemen aimed at protecting American interests, discouraging adversaries, and ensuring free movement of navigation," stated U.S. Central Command, overseeing U.S. military activities in the Middle Eastern region. posted on X.

The Houthis began targeting commercial and military ships transiting the Red Sea and other nearby waters shortly after the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, in what it described as support for the Palestinians. The group suspended those attacks In January, after an armistice agreement was struck between Israel and Hamas.

However, in recent weeks, disagreements about how to proceed with the next stage of the ceasefire have jeopardized what was already a tenuous agreement.

The U.S. military action took place on Saturday following the Houthis' announcement earlier in the week that they would restart assaults on Israeli vessels once their ultimatum for Israel to recommence delivering aid shipments into Gaza expired.

The Israeli entity has failed to comply with the ceasefire agreement," wrote Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a high-ranking political figure and spokesperson for Yemen's Houthi rebels, on Twitter following the U.S. attacks. He also stated that American intervention would "prompt a reaction.

A spokesperson for the Houthi political bureau stated: "This aggression will not remain unchallenged, as our military forces are completely ready to counter the increased hostility with heightened actions of their own until triumph is attained."

Based on information from two individuals informed about the matter by the Trump administration, the ongoing series of attacks aims to achieve three objectives.

Initially, these actions aim at neutralizing Houthi missile launchers that were being transported towards the coastline in anticipation of fresh assaults on maritime traffic, according to those individuals. Additionally, they target the Houthi leaders who have retreated into seclusion. Ultimately, these airstrikes serve as a warning to Iran, indicating potential future action against them along with showcasing available military strength and capabilities, the sources mentioned.

For shippers, the cease-fire deal wasn’t enough to restore confidence that ships could safely transit. Big shipping companies said in January they wouldn’t send vessels back to the Red Sea.

Although Houthi assaults on vessels have not yet restarted, they recently announced shooting down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone that vanished over the Red Sea. This incident, along with their pledge to restart attacks, prompted additional U.S. military intervention, according to a statement from a U.S. defense official.

This week, U.S. military officers had discussions with Trump about potential military strategies, according to U.S. defense officials.

The Houthis are provoking repercussions. They are associating themselves with organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah," stated Noam Raydan, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who has been monitoring the Houthi assaults from their onset. "These strikes pose a danger not just to a single nation but to worldwide commerce.

In November 2023, the Houthis initiated attacks on vessels, encompassing those unaffiliated with Israel. These assaults significantly diminished the utilization of one of the key commercial maritime passages.

In December, the Houthis last targeted U.S.- flagged commercial vessels; one was in the Red Sea and another in the Gulf of Aden. It was also in this same month when the U.S. declared their most recent assaults on Houthi positions. A prior military operation led by the U.S., which took place under President Joe Biden’s tenure, consisted of over 200 airstrikes aimed at reopening maritime routes by diminishing the strength of the Houthi insurgents.

Send correspondence to Nancy A. Youssef at nancy.youssef@wsj.com and Benoit Faucon at benoit.faucon@wsj.com