The Houthis say the strikes led to 31 deaths; the United States has not yet released death toll estimates.
National Security Adviser Micahel Waltz said on March 16 that the Trump administration’s strikes on Houthis in Yemen resulted in significant blows to its leadership.
In an interview with “Fox News Sunday,” Waltz confirmed the strikes and described the Houthis, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, as “essentially Al Qaeda with sophisticated Iranian-backed air defenses and anti-ship cruise missiles and drones.”
“We hit the Houthi leadership, killing several of their key leaders last night, their infrastructure, the missiles,” he said.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump ordered several airstrikes on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, vowing to use “overwhelming lethal force” until the Iran-back terrorists end their attacks on a critical sea lane.
The Houthis said the strikes led to at least 31 deaths, but those numbers could not be independently verified, and the United States has not yet released death toll estimates.
“Our brave Warfighters are right now carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses to protect American shipping, air, and naval assets, and to restore Navigational Freedom,” Trump wrote in a social media post. “No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World.”
The White House said on Saturday that it has been more than a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship has been able to safely sail through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden—one of the world’s most important shipping corridors.
While speaking with ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, Waltz emphasized the threat to global shipping, which has forced many vessels to reroute around the southern tip of Africa.
“It is Iran that has repeatedly funded, resourced, trained and helped the Houthis target not only U.S. warships, but global commerce, and has helped the Houthis shut down two of the world’s most strategic sea lanes,” Waltz said. “Seventy percent of global shipping is now diverting around Southern Africa, adding to the cost of goods, disrupting global economies, adding to or shutting off supplies to the United States.”
Trump has warned Iran to stop supporting the terrorist organization, vowing to hold the nation “fully accountable” for the Houthis’ actions.
By Jacob Burg
