Washington DC [US], March 17 : The United States' airstrikes on Yemen's Houthi rebels have killed atleast 53 people, including five women and two children, and injured nearly 100 others, The Hill reported, quoting the Houthi-run Health Ministry.
The airstrikes targeted Yemen's capital, Sanaa, as well as other provinces, including Saada, the rebels' stronghold near the border with Saudi Arabia.
In response to the strikes, the Houthis' political bureau has vowed to "meet escalation with escalation."
The rebels have also claimed that they targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group with missiles and a drone, but two U.S. officials told The Associated Press they were not tracking anything, as reported by The Hill.
Meanwhile, United Nations 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.
On Saturday, Trump announced a "decisive and powerful" military 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.
Trump said the US would use "overwhelming lethal force" against the Houthis while accusing them of 'choking' transportation through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which have affected the trade and commerce and "attacked" the principle of Freedom of Navigation.
"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," Trump said.
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