CAIRO — Iran on Sunday as soon as once more denied aiding Yemen’s Houthi rebels after america launched a wave of airstrikes in opposition to them and President Donald Trump warned that Tehran can be held “totally accountable” for his or her actions.
The Houthi-run Well being Ministry mentioned the strikes killed at the very least 31 individuals, together with girls and youngsters, and wounded over 100. The rebels mentioned one strike hit two houses in northern Saada province, killing 4 youngsters and a girl. The rebel-run Al-Masirah TV confirmed photographs of what it mentioned have been the our bodies.
The Houthis have repeatedly focused worldwide delivery within the Pink Sea and launched missiles and drones at Israel in what the rebels mentioned have been acts of solidarity with the Palestinians within the Gaza Strip, the place Israel has been at battle with Hamas, one other Iranian ally.
The assaults stopped when a fragile Israel-Hamas ceasefire took maintain in Gaza in January, however the Houthis had threatened to resume them after Israel lower off the circulation of humanitarian support to Gaza this month.
The U.S. and others have lengthy accused Iran of offering army support to the Houthis and the U.S. Navy has seized Iranian-made missile components and different weaponry it mentioned have been sure for the militant group, which controls Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and the nation’s north.
Gen. Hossein Salami, head of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, denied his nation was concerned within the Houthis’ assaults, saying it “performs no function in setting the nationwide or operational insurance policies” of the militant teams it’s allied with throughout the area, in line with state-run TV.
Iranian International Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a put up on X, urged the U.S. to halt the strikes and mentioned Washington can not dictate Iran’s overseas coverage.
Trump on Saturday had vowed to make use of “overwhelming deadly drive” till the Houthis stop their assaults on delivery alongside the very important maritime hall.
The airstrikes come a number of days after the Houthis mentioned they’d resume assaults on Israeli vessels crusing off Yemen in response to Israel’s newest blockade on Gaza. There have been no Houthi assaults reported since then.
The Houthis had focused over 100 service provider vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two and killing 4 sailors, throughout their marketing campaign focusing on army and civilian ships between the beginning of the Israel-Hamas battle in October 2023 and January of this yr, when the ceasefire in Gaza took impact.
America, Israel and Britain have beforehand hit Houthi-held areas in Yemen, however Saturday’s operation was performed solely by the U.S. It was the primary strike on the Houthis below the second Trump administration.
—Related Press author Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
