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A US airstrike on Yemen’s Houthis, ordered by President Donald Trump, killed nine people in Sanaa on Saturday, while another nine were wounded, rebels said. These were the first US strikes on the group since Trump took office in January.Earlier, the Houthis had targeted Israel and Red Sea shipping during the Gaza war. Following which, the White House warned Iran to stop backing the rebels.”Nine civilians were killed and nine others were injured, most of them seriously,” the Houthis’ health and environment ministry said in a statement on their Saba news agency, and added “American-British aggression raided a residential neighbourhood in the Shuub district in Sanaa.” Security forces cordoned off the affected area immediately.Speaking about the attack, in a post on social media, Trump vowed to “use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective”, citing the Houthis’ threats against Red Sea shipping.“Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen,” the US president wrote on Truth Social. “They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.””…To all Huthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” he also said in the post.Trump also warned Iran, the Houthis main backer, that it needed to immediately stop supporting the group. He said if Iran threatened the United States “America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”However, there was no immediate comment from British authorities.Will not pass without response: Houthis respondedThe Houthis hit back in a statement on Al-Masirah vowing that the strikes “will not pass without response”.”Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation,” the rebels’ political bureau said.The rebels have controlled much of Yemen for over a decade. They are part of the pro-Iran “axis of resistance” opposed to Israel and the US. During the Gaza war, they launched drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming solidarity with Palestinians. The attacks crippled the key trade route, which handles 12% of global shipping. Many companies were forced into a costly detour around southern Africa.
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