'Meet escalation with escalation': US, Houthis refuse to back down after airstrikes

The United States on Sunday launched airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels killing at least 53, including five women and two children, and injuring 100 others.

According to a report by the Hill, the strikes targeted Yemen's capital, Sanaa, as well as other provinces, including Saada, the rebels' stronghold near the border with Saudi Arabia.

Following the strikes, the Houthis' political bureau has vowed to "meet escalation with escalation." They denied that their actions threaten international shipping and reaffirmed their support for Gaza.

The rebels claimed that they targeted the USS Harry S Truman carrier strike group with missiles and a drone. However, US officials told news agency Associated Press that they were not tracking anything.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a statement called for "utmost restraint and a cessation of all military activities," while warning of the "grave risks" to the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, the Arab world's poorest nation.

The airstrikes came a day after US President Donald Trump announced "decisive and powerful" military action against Houthis, accusing them of piracy, violence and terrorism targeting Americans.

"Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American and other ships, aircraft, and drones," Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.

"The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective. The Houthis have choked off shipping in one of the most important Waterways of the World, grinding vast swaths of Global Commerce to a halt, and attacking the core principle of Freedom of Navigation upon which International Trade and Commerce depend," he added.

The Houthis have been targeting commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and other key maritime routes since late 2023.

They claim these attacks are in response to Israel’s blockade on Gaza. Despite a ceasefire in Gaza, the Houthis recently warned they would resume strikes on Israeli-linked ships.