US President Donald Trump has issued a stark warning to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, declaring that American military operations against the group will continue until they no longer pose a threat to international shipping routes.
In a message posted on his Truth Social platform Monday, Trump delivered an ultimatum to the Iran-backed militants: “Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.”
The president’s warning coincided with reports from Houthi media of two new US strikes on Monday targeting Kamaran island off Yemen’s Hodeida coast, further escalating the conflict that has intensified since March 15 when the US launched a comprehensive military offensive against the rebel group.
According to Trump, the Houthi forces have been “decimated” by “relentless” American strikes over the past two weeks. “We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder,” the president stated in his social media post.
The US military campaign began after months of Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which the rebels claim are carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in the ongoing Gaza conflict. These attacks have significantly disrupted global shipping, forcing many companies to reroute vessels around the southern tip of Africa instead of using the vital Suez Canal, which normally handles approximately 12 percent of world shipping traffic.
On the first day of the US offensive alone, American officials reported killing senior Houthi leaders, while the rebel health ministry claimed 53 people were killed. Despite the intensity of US operations, the Houthis have continued to announce attacks on US military ships and Israeli targets.
Trump’s escalating rhetoric toward the Houthis and Iran comes as his administration faces scrutiny over an accidental leak of sensitive information. The Atlantic magazine recently revealed that its editor was inadvertently included in a Signal app chat where top officials, including National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, were discussing classified details about the Yemen air strikes.
Despite calls for accountability, Trump has dismissed the incident as a “witch hunt” and rejected demands to remove the officials involved. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters on Monday, “This case has been closed here at the White House as far as we are concerned.”
The president has also recently heightened his rhetoric toward Iran, threatening that “there will be bombing” if Tehran fails to reach an agreement regarding its nuclear program.
