Trump authorizes massive airstrikes on Yemen in warning signal to Iran

US President Donald Trump on Saturday ordered large-scale military strikes against dozens of targets in Yemen controlled by Tehran-backed Houthi militants, warning Iran about the consequences of its continued support for the rebels.

"Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen," Trump said in a post on his Truth Social account.

He urged the Houthis' sponsors in Iran to "immediately stop their support."

"Do NOT threaten the American People, their President... If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!" the US president said in his warning to Iran.

The New York Times cited US officials as saying the Saturday airstrike, the most significant military action of Trump’s second term so far, "was also meant to send a warning signal to Iran."

The airstrikes against Yemen's Houthis may continue for days or even weeks, Reuters reported, citing an American official.

Trump said the Houthis "waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones."

"The Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of global commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which International Trade and Commerce depends," he said.

Trump warned the Houthis that their time is up. "Your attacks must stop, starting today. If they don’t, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before!"

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the beginning of the Gaza war, the Houthis started massive missile and drone strikes against commercial vessels in an effort to pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza. They imposed a blockade in the Red Sea region, significantly disrupting global shipping routes.

Shortly after Trump's inauguration, Iran directed its allied forces across the Middle East including the Houthis to act with restraint, the Telegraph reported, citing a senior Iranian official in Tehran.

“Forces and allies in the region have been instructed to act with caution as [the regime] feels an existential threat with Trump’s return,” the Iranian official said.

However, the Houthis for the first time fired surface-to-air missiles at a US F-16 fighter jet over the Red Sea last month in what officials described as a significant escalation in the Iran-backed group's ongoing conflict with the US military.

They also fired a surface-to-air missile at an American MQ-9 Reaper drone that the US military was flying over Yemen.

The Houthis have earlier shot down several MQ-9 Reaper drones over the past year. Every single one of these drones costs about $32 million, according to a Congressional report.