Trump vows 'complete annihilation' of Houthi rebels, warns Iran over arms supply

President Donald Trump Wednesday declared that Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels “will be completely annihilated,” issuing a stern warning to Tehran against continuing its support for the group. This statement comes amid an ongoing US military campaign targeting the Houthi rebels.

“Iran must stop the sending of these Supplies IMMEDIATELY. Let the Houthis fight it out themselves. Either way they lose, but this way they lose quickly,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Trump has launched a new campaign of intense airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Why did the US launch the new airstrikes?

The Houthi rebels attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until January this year. Their leadership described the attacks as aiming to end the Israeli war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The campaign also greatly raised the Houthis’ profile in the wider Arab world and tamped down on public criticism against their human rights abuses and crackdowns on dissent and aid workers.

Trump, writing on his social media platform Truth Social, said his administration targeted the Houthis over their “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence and terrorism.” He noted the disruption Houthi attacks have caused through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, key waterways for energy and cargo shipments between Asia and Europe through Egypt’s Suez Canal.

“We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective,” Trump said.