President Donald Trump on Monday touted the success of the U.S.’s two-week-long offensive against the Houthis in Yemen and issued a clear message: ‘Stop shooting at U.S. ships, and we will stop shooting at you.’
The Trump administration launched its operations earlier this month after the Houthi terrorist group once again renewed its threats against Israeli vessels earlier this month after Jerusalem cut off humanitarian aid headed for the Gaza Strip.
‘The Iran-backed Houthi Terrorists have been decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks,’ Trump said in a post on his social media outlet Truth Social on Monday afternoon. ‘Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us.’
‘We hit them every day and night – Harder and harder,’ he added.
Trump said their capabilities that enable the Houthis to target shipping in the region are ‘being rapidly destroyed.’
The terrorist network, backed by Iran, began escalating its attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. Notably, security experts have pointed out the Houthi attacks are not indiscriminate as they do not routinely target Chinese or Saudi Arabian vessels.
Trump also issued a message to Iran on Monday and warned if the attacks do not stop, Washington will come for Tehran next.
‘Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation,’ Trump said. ‘Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.’
Trump has increased his threats issued against Iran in recent days, warning of direct military repercussions not only if it doesn’t stop arming terrorist networks, but if it continues with its nuclear ambitions.
U.S. Central Command has not released an update about the Houthi leaders allegedly killed in the strikes or the most recent operations.
According to Houthi representatives, three people were killed in an overnight strike around the Houthi-controlled capital of Sanaa — which the terrorist network has held its grip on since 2014, reported the Associated Press.
The strike, which apparently carried on into Monday morning, came just three days after the previous attack on Friday, which was reported to have been more ‘intense’ than previous aerial campaigns and was carried out over several locations in and around Sanaa.