The US airstrikes against areas controlled by Houthi rebels in Yemen, announced last night by Donald Trump via Truth Social, have claimed the lives of at least 31 people and caused 101 injuries, according to a new report released today by the rebel health ministry.

These strikes targeted the capital Sana’a, the provinces of Saada, in northwestern Yemen, and , in the central part of the country, as well as the city of Radaa, also in the central part of Yemen, the spokesman for the Houthi health ministry Annis al-Ashbahi explained on social media X.

In its first reaction, the organization called these attacks “a war crime.” “Our armed forces in Yemen are fully prepared to respond to the escalation with an escalation,” the Houthi political office said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the US news website Axios has revealed that the United States informed Israel in advance of its strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. The site quoted a senior Israeli official as saying: “Israel was informed before the strikes.”

Iran

“The US has no right to dictate Tehran’s foreign policy, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has meanwhile said, after Donald Trump, in which the US president asked the Iran to “immediately” stop supporting the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

“The US government has no authority and no right to dictate Iran’s foreign policy, the head of Iran’s diplomacy stressed in a post on social media X, calling for an end to “killing the people of Yemen.”

The Houthis, who are supported financially and militarily by Iran, belong to Tehran’s “axis of resistance”, an informal alliance of regional armed organizations opposed to Israel, such as Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Over 60,000 Palestinians have been killed and the world blames America in full,” Abbas Araghchi added in X, referring to unwavering American support for Israel in its war in Gaza against Hamas.

Some parts of the Iranian diplomatic chief’s message are in capital letters, following a style reminiscent of Donald Trump’s.

“Support for Houthi terrorists must stop immediately! Do not threaten the American people, their president (…) or the channels of international navigation. And if you do, be careful, because America will hold you fully responsible and we will not be polite!“, the US president said in his post.

“The Houthi attack on US ships will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we achieve our goal,” Trump warned via the Truth Social platform, and later released a photo showing him watching the ongoing military operation in Yemen, wearing a “MAGA” hat.

The US attacks come days after the Houthis announced plans to resume attacks on Israeli ships sailing in the Red Sea, Arab Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and the Aden Gulf, ending a lull that began in January along with a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The Houthis have launched more than 100 attacks on ships since November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians, disrupting international shipping and forcing shipping companies to opt for longer and more costly sea routes.