The United States will keep attacking Yemen’s Houthis until they end attacks on shipping, the US defence secretary said on Sunday, as the Iran-aligned group signalled it could escalate in response to deadly strikes the day before.
The airstrikes, which killed at least 31 people, are the biggest US military operation in the Middle East since President Donald Trump took office in January. One US official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks.
The Houthi movement’s political bureau described the attacks as a “war crime” and said Houthi forces were ready to “meet escalation with escalation”, while Moscow urged Washington to cease the strikes.
The Houthis had launched scores of attacks on shipping after Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
After pausing their attacks when a ceasefire took effect in Gaza in January, the Yemeni group has announced it would resume them until Israel lifted its blockade of desperately needed aid to the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
