The Houthis are vowing retaliation after the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen.
President Trump ordered a series of airstrikes on the Houthis, a militant group backed by Iran, on Saturday. The president said the U.S. would use an “overwhelming lethal force” to take out the group.
Nasr el-Din Amer, a spokesperson for the Houthis, told NBC News that the majority of the casualties from the airstrikes were women and children.
The group plans to retaliate and said they would not stop until the “blockade on Gaza” is lifted.
“We will respond to the recent escalation with further escalation,” he said.
On Saturday, Trump warned Iran to stop supporting the rebel group and said he would hold the country “fully accountable” for the proxy group’s actions.
Explosions were heard in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and Saada, the Houthi stronghold, from Saturday evening into Sunday morning, NBC News reported.
The attacks were carried out by Air Force jets and armed drones that took off from the region. A source told The Hill that it’s the first of a “many days if not weeks” attack.
The attacks come as the Houthis vow to continue attacking shipping vessels in the Red Sea. The group has targeted the ships since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, increasing tensions in the region.