US President Donald Trump has launched air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen. Trump has cited attacks on ships by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea as the reason for this. “The Houthis, backed by Iran, have fired missiles at American planes and targeted our troops and allies,” Trump wrote on the social media platform Truth.
Trump further wrote, “The Houthi rebels’ maritime piracy, violence, and terror have caused billions of dollars in damage and endangered lives.” After the US attack, the Houthi-run health ministry said that at least 15 people were killed and 9 injured in the attacks.
US President Donald Trump directly addressed the Houthi rebels, writing: “If they do not stop, you will be rained down with destruction like you have never seen before.” Even after Trump’s warning, the Houthis did not change their response and said that this attack would not reduce their support for the Palestinians.
Houthi is an armed group of Yemen’s minority Shia Zaidi community. This community formed this group in 1990 to fight the alleged corruption of the then President Ali Abdullah Saleh. The Houthis are named after the founder of their movement, Hussein Ali Houthi.
The Houthi rebels also call themselves Ansar Allah, i.e. companions of God. During the US-led attack on Iraq in 2003, the Houthi rebels gave the slogan, “God is great. America should be destroyed. Jews should be destroyed and Islam should be victorious.”