Special Poll
President Trump announced that the United States has initiated “decisive and powerful” military strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen. He stated that these actions were taken to cease the Iran-backed rebels’ assaults on international shipping and to ensure the free movement of maritime traffic. The President declared, “No terrorist force will impede the passage of American commercial and naval ships through the world’s waterways,” in a post on Truth Social.
The strikes, according to Trump, targeted Houthi command centers, key leaders, and missile defense systems to “safeguard American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to reestablish navigational freedom.”
The operations involved Air Force attack jets and armed drones, launching from various bases, as well as fighters from the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, revealed a source familiar with the situation to The Hill. The source emphasized that these strikes mark “the beginning of what could be days or even weeks of continued military action.”
Trump further criticized the Houthis for disrupting one of the world’s crucial maritime channels, significantly affecting global trade and challenging the fundamental principle of freedom of navigation, vital for international trade and commerce.
In late January, Trump had signed an executive order to redesignate the Houthis in Yemen as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), citing their repeated attacks on commercial and U.S. Navy vessels and civilian infrastructures in the Middle East.