US President Donald Trump started military strikes against Yemen’s Houthis on Saturday in response to the group’s attacks on Red Sea vessels, threatening that “hell will rain down upon you” if they did not quit their campaign. Trump also reminded Iran, the Houthis’ principal backer, that it must immediately cease backing for the group. He declared that if Iran endangered the United States, “America will hold you fully accountable, and we will not be nice about it!” According to the Houthi-run health ministry, US strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa killed at least nine civilians and injured another nine.

According to residents in Sanaa, the strikes targeted a structure in a militant Houthi stronghold. “The blasts were powerful, shaking the neighborhood like an earthquake. “They terrified our women and children,” one of the locals, Abdullah Yahia, stated. Since November 2023, the Houthis have committed more than 100 attacks on shipping, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in response to Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza. During that time, the group sunk two ships, seized another, and killed at least four sailors in an offensive that interrupted global trade, forcing companies to reroute to longer and more expensive routes across southern Africa.

Residents in Sanaa said the strikes struck a facility in a militant Houthi stronghold. “The explosions were enormous, rocking the neighborhood like an earthquake. “They terrified our women and children,” one of the villagers, Abdullah Yahia, said. Since November 2023, the Houthis have carried out over 100 attacks against ships, claiming solidarity with Palestinians in reaction to Israel’s conflict with Hamas in Gaza. During that period, the organization sank two ships, seized another, and killed at least four sailors in an offensive that disrupted global trade, forcing businesses to reroute to longer and more expensive routes through southern Africa.