United States President Donald Trump. (File Image)
“In the event of the American involvement in the attack and aggression against Iran with the Israeli enemy, the armed forces will target its ships and warships in the Red Sea,” Saree said, as quoted by AP.
“Iran has played ‘the innocent victim’ of rogue terrorists from which they’ve lost control, but they haven’t lost control,” Trump alleged in his post. “They’re dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, ‘Intelligence.’”
“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN,” Trump said on his Truth Social account. “IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those consequences will be dire.”
His remarks followed a series of US airstrikes that reportedly killed at least 53 people. According to US officials, the strikes hit more than 40 targets, including drone sites and command centres. The Houthis had also launched drones and missiles targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, though none reached the ship as it continues flight operations in the region, AP had reported.
Trump also gave the US Central Command greater autonomy to carry out offensive strikes without prior White House approval.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthis, also called Ansar Allah (which means “Supporters of God”), are an armed group based in Yemen. They control large parts of the country, including the capital city, Sanaa, and areas near the border with Saudi Arabia.
They first appeared in the 1990s but became widely known in 2014 when they rose up against Yemen’s government. This led to the government’s collapse and triggered a major humanitarian crisis. Since then, the Houthis – supported by Iran – have been locked in a long conflict with a Saudi Arabia-led military coalition. Although there have been several attempts at peace, fighting has continued on and off over the years.
