People in Yemen are still clearing the rubble to look for buried victims. Hospitals are overwhelmed with wounded people, including children. “What is happening here is a crime”, a local resident, a Houthi sympathizer, told ARD.
He spoke of ten dead and 13 wounded, including two children. “A boy and a girl are still being searched for in the rubble. The Americans fired on civilians who have nothing to do with the Houthis. But we are ready for anything.“
The attacks were ordered by Trump
The Houthis reported that the US airstrikes also hit residential areas north of the capital Sanaa. For its part, the US regional command said that precision strikes had been carried out across Yemen.
On the orders of President Donald Trump, the US launched massive airstrikes against the Iranian-backed Houthi militias over the weekend. The targets of the attacks were military bases, anti-missile installations and Houthi commanders - in order to restore freedom of navigation, as Trump announced and warned: if the Houthis do not stop their attacks on ships, "all hell will break loose". According to the US military, the attacks are likely to continue for days or even weeks. The US recently classified the Houthis as a terrorist organization, ARD recalls.
The Houthis threaten to attack ships again
Yemeni television broadcasts the Houthis' propaganda messages under the slogan "Death to America, death to Israel, a curse on the Jews". The Houthis threaten to retaliate - escalation will be met with escalation, a militia spokesman said. At the same time, there are reports that the Houthis are taking their weapons to safe places and are calling on their leaders not to stay in their homes for the time being, the German public-law media reported.
In early March, militia commander Abdel Malik al-Houthi announced that in the context of stalled ceasefire talks in the Gaza Strip, attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea would continue. “We are announcing to the world that we are giving the mediators four more days”, al-Houthi threatened. If Israel continues to obstruct aid deliveries to Gaza after these four days, the Houthis would “continue their maritime operations against the Israeli enemy“.
Shipping companies avoid the Red Sea
For months, Iran-linked militias have been attacking cargo ships in the Red Sea in what they say is solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. Among other things, the Houthis are demanding an immediate end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip and an increase in aid to the civilian population. International shipping has been severely affected by the Houthi attacks, with a number of shipping companies avoiding the Red Sea for months, choosing detours around Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.
Egypt is also feeling the effects, as revenues from transit through the Suez Canal have fallen dramatically. “With their attacks on commercial ships, the Houthis have one goal in mind – are trying to put pressure on Israel to end the war in Gaza. The Houthis are part of the so-called axis of resistance, which receives support from Iran in its fight against Israel, said expert Mahmoud Ezelarab of the Al-Ahram research center in Cairo, ARD recalls.
“The attacks will not stop the Houthis“
But there are other interests behind their attacks, observers believe: the Houthis want to attract international attention and hope to gain more popularity in Yemen and throughout the Arab world through their solidarity with the Palestinians. As part of the Iranian axis of resistance, they would like to be seen as equals to Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The threats and airstrikes by the US will probably scare the Houthis, but they will not stop them, said Yemeni political scientist Manea al-Matari, quoted by ARD. “The US attacks will still weaken the Houthis. The militias did not expect the attacks to be so massive. However, the threat to international shipping remains. The US attacks will probably repel the Houthis to some extent, but with the help of Iran and Hezbollah, the militias will quickly be able to recover and continue their actions if Iran decides to inflame tensions in the region again.“
US President Trump warned Iran to immediately end its support for the Houthis, otherwise Tehran would be held accountable. The commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards said that Iran does not want war. But if threatened, it would react "appropriately" and "decisively."