Donald Trump has launched 'decisive and powerful military action against' Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The 47th President of the US took to Truth Social yesterday (March 15) to condemn the Houthi 'terrorists' in Yemen for having 'waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence and terrorism against American and other ships, aircraft and drones' in the Red Sea.
The Houthi rebels are an Iran-backed armed political and religious group that emerged in the 90s and champion the Zaidis - Yemen's Shia Muslim minority.
Trump branded his predecessor Joe Biden's response to the Houthi 'weak' and resulting in 'the unrestrained Houthis' to 'just keep going' with it being 'over a year since a US flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden'.
"The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times," Trump's post continued. "Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies. These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk."
Trump resolved the 'attack on the American vessels will not be tolerated' and declared the US' launching of 'overwhelming lethal force until [it has] achieved [its] objective' - launching aerial attacks and missile defenses to 'protect American shipping, air and naval assets and to restore Navigational Freedom'.
And his direct message to the Houthi rebels? Addressing the 'Houthi terrorists' themselves, Trump issued a stern four-word threat: "HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU."
Donald Trump has launched an attack on the Houthi rebels in Yemen (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images) The full address read: "YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!"
Elsewhere in the post, Trump said: "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 depends.
"[...] No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the Waterways of the World."
He resolved: "To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!"
The Houthi-run health ministry has reported that at least 31 people were killed and 101 injured in the strikes launched by the US, BBC reports.