The Houthis have declared their intention to attack any American vessels approaching within 1,000 miles of Yemen’s borders following the initiation of a relentless airstrike campaign by Donald Trump.
The Iran-backed proxy terror group was rocked after the US military launched a series of airstrikes on the capital city of Sanaa over the weekend.
Subsequently, the Houthi rebels asserted that they successfully targeted the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its supporting warships on two separate occasions within a span of 24 hours.
They have now announced a ban on all US vessels from passing the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, southern Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Aden.
While US Navy ships that come within 1,000 miles of Yemen will be attacked as a response to the aerial strikes, the terror group warned.
Issuing a seemingly hollow threat, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi stated that his fighters would aim for US military ships in the Red Sea in retaliation to the ongoing US assaults on Yemen.
The proxy terror group also shared a sick propaganda video showing dozens of US flag-draped coffins floating in waters near destroyed American Navy ships.
Houthis, who are funded by the Iranian regime, operate on rudimentary intelligence and military equipment provided by the IRGC.
The US launched what it called a “decisive and powerful” wave of air strikes on Houthi targets on Saturday as part of efforts to stop Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
And on Sunday, two US airstrikes were launched targeting the command tower of the detained Israeli ship named Galaxy Leader.
Fresh strikes were also carried out on Monday morning, with multiple targets hit in regions of Al Jaouf and Hudaydah.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said its forces continue operations against them.
The Houthis have claimed the airstrikes have killed at least 54, including five children and two women, with the number of people wounded at 98.
They said they launched 18 missiles and a drone at the “aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships” in the Red Sea, before hours later claiming to have fired a second round.
The US strike group is currently operating in the Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said: “The armed forces, with the help of God Almighty, carried out a qualitative military operation targeting the American aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman and its accompanying warships in the northern Red Sea, using 18 ballistic and cruise missiles and drones in a joint operation carried out by the missile force, Drone Air Force and the naval forces.”
The US warships shot down around a dozen of the deadly Houthi drones targeting the USS Harry Truman aircraft, a senior defence official told Fox News.
They were shot down “well before” they posed a serious threat to it, the source added.
Washington’s weekend strikes against the Houthis were the first since Trump’s return to the White House in January.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed an “unrelenting” missile campaign until the Houthi attacks in the region stop.
Hegseth said: “I want to be very clear, this campaign is about freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence.”
US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz told ABC News that Saturday’s strikes “targeted multiple Huthi leaders and took them out”.
He said the US is willing to target not just the Houthis, but targets more directly linked to Iran.
Iranian ships near the Yemeni coast that help the Houthis with intelligence could be targeted, Waltz said.
Trump meanwhile warned the Houthis that “hell will rain down upon you”.
In a social media post addressed to Iran, the US president demanded the Islamic Republic stop supporting “Houthi terrorists”.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed a “large scale operation” against the Houthis, which it said on Sunday night was continuing.
Former Nato chief Hamish de Bretton-Gordon said the US could continue striking the Houthis until they stop attacking commercial vessels in the region.
He told The Sun: “The Iranians have been supplying more missiles and drones and weaponry to them.
“One would expect to see the US continue an increase, and it will come a stage where the Houthis become less effective and will either regroup or stop.
It might well be that the US consider a more detailed and comprehensive operation to neutralise the Houthis of capability in the future.”
Witnesses in Sanaa described experiencing a “horrific explosion” that shook houses and shattered windows.
Footage on Houthi media showed children, including a dazed girl with blackened legs wrapped in bandages, and a woman being treated in hospital.
One father of two, who gave his name as Ahmed, said: “I’ve been living in Sanaa for 10 years, hearing shelling throughout the war. By God, I’ve never experienced anything like this before”.
“My family and I were terrified,” he added.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the deadly US strikes and said Washington had “no authority” to dictate Tehran’s foreign policy.
The Houthis political bureau said its “forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation”.
The airstrikes come in response to the group’s months-long attacks on military and commercial ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks since November 2023, claiming they are targeting vessels linked to Israel over the war in Gaza.
But many of the ships attacked had no connection to Israel.
The group has seized one vessel, sunk two, and killed four sailors.
According to Trump, the attacks have also cost the US and world economy “billions ” of dollars.
The strikes come just days after the Houthis vowed to resume attacks on Israeli-linked ships in response to Israel cutting off aid to Gaza.
The group had paused its operations during a ceasefire but warned that its attacks would now expand to the Gulf of Aden, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Arabian Sea.
Who are the Houthis?
THE Houthi rebels have spent months terrorising the Red Sea by launching persistent missile and drone attacks on vessels and warships – but who are they?
The Shia militant group, which now controls large swaths of Yemen, spent over a decade being largely ignored by the world.
However, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, they sprung from relative obscurity to holding roughly £1trillion of world trade hostage – turning one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes into an active warzone.
Their warped battle cry is “Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam”.
Why are they attacking ships?
Last October, the rebel group began launching relentless drone and missile attacks on any ships – including warships – they deem to be connected with Israel in solidarity with their ally Hamas.
In reality, they targeted commercial vessels with little or no link to Israel – forcing global sea traffic to largely halt operations in the region and sending shipping prices around the world soaring.
The sea assaults added to the carnage in the Middle East tinderbox as intense ripples from Israel’s war in Gaza were felt across the region – with Iran accused of stoking the chaos.
The Houthi chiefs pledged their Red Sea attacks would continue until Israel stopped its offensive in Gaza.
The group’s chiefs have previously said their main targets are Israel, and its allies the US and Britain.
And despite repeated threats from the West and joint US and UK strikes blitzing their strongholds in Yemen – Iran’s terror proxy appears undeterred.
The UK and US have hit Houthi bases as recently as this month after the terror group once again targeted boats in the shipping lane.
Israel has also hammered the group with airstrikes, reportedly hitting oil storage tanks at the port in Al Hudaydah.
