Trump Warns Iran Over Houthi Rebels    03/18 06:05

   

   DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday 
explicitly linked the actions of Yemen's Houthi rebels to the group's main 
benefactor, Iran, warning Tehran it would "suffer the consequences" for further 
attacks by the group.

   The comments by Trump on his Truth Social website escalate his 
administration's new campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed 
at least 53 people this weekend alone. U.S. officials said the strikes were 
carried out against more than 40 targets and more airstrikes were planned in 
the coming days. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss 
details of military operations.

   Meanwhile, the Iranians continue to weigh how to respond to a letter Trump 
sent them last week trying to jump-start negotiations over Tehran's rapidly 
advancing nuclear program.

   Houthi supporters rallied in several cities Monday after the strikes, vowing 
revenge against America and Israel over blocking aid to the Gaza Strip after 
its war on Hamas there. The Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel put 
young boys on air live, who chanted the group's slogan: "God is the greatest; 
death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam."

   "The Yemeni position is an irreversible position (regarding Gaza), so do 
whatever you (Americans) want, for we are men who fear no one but God," said 
Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a Houthi leader who spoke to the demonstration in 
Yemen's rebel-held capital, Sanaa.

   The United Nations called for a halt to all military activities in Yemen and 
the Red Sea, urging "utmost restraint" and warning that "any additional 
escalation could exacerbate regional tensions," U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan 
Haq said Monday.

   Trump links Iran to the Houthis

   Describing the Houthis as "sinister mobsters and thugs," Trump warned any 
attack by the group would be met with "great force, and there is no guarantee 
that that force will stop there."

   "Iran has played 'the innocent victim' of rogue terrorists from which 
they've lost control, but they haven't lost control," Trump alleged in his 
post. "They're dictating every move, giving them the weapons, supplying them 
with money and highly sophisticated Military equipment, and even, so-called, 
'Intelligence.'"

   And in a marked departure from the previous administration, Trump has given 
U.S. Central Command the authority to launch offensive strikes against the 
Houthis when it deems it appropriate.

   The Biden administration had required White House approval to conduct 
offensive strikes like the ones over the weekend. It did allow U.S. forces to 
launch defensive attacks, including to take out weapons that appeared to be 
ready to fire.

   Delegating the authority to the regional commander, said Lt. Gen. Alex 
Grynkewich, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "allows us to 
achieve a tempo of operations where we can react to opportunities that we see 
on the battlefield in order to continue to put pressure on the Houthis." He 
added that it also allows the U.S. to hit a broader array of targets.

   The U.S. officials said Trump made the decision last week.

   The weekend strikes targeted headquarters positions and drone sites where 
what the Pentagon identified as "key leaders" for the Houthis' drone program 
were located at the time, Grynkewich said.

   The Pentagon said there was no evidence that any civilians were killed in 
the attacks. However, Houthi officials earlier said women and children had been 
killed in the strikes.

   Iran warns US about 'reckless' words

   Iran's ambassador to the United Nations delivered a strong rebuke Monday to 
Trump's recent rhetoric about the Islamic Republic, saying Trump and U.S. 
officials are making "reckless and provocative statements" and threatened to 
retaliate if those words turn to actions.

   In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said 
his country would "defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and national 
interests under international law against any hostile action."

   It's unclear what sparked Trump's post on Truth Social. However, the head of 
Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard sought to separate the Houthis' actions 
from those of Tehran this weekend. The Houthis also launched drones and 
missiles targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, 
though none reached the ship as it continues flight operations in the region.

   "Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point 
forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and 
IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences, and those 
consequences will be dire!" Trump added.

   The Houthi rebels attacked over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and 
drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors, from November 2023 until 
January this year when a ceasefire began in Gaza. The campaign also greatly 
raised the Houthis' profile in the wider Arab world and tamped down on public 
criticism against their human rights abuses and crackdowns on dissent and aid 
workers.

   The Houthis claimed there had been additional U.S. airstrikes overnight, 
though American officials did not immediately acknowledge them.

   World Food Program warehouse raided by Houthis

   In Saada province, the Houthis' stronghold, the rebels raided a warehouse 
run by the World Food Program. A member of Yemen's exiled government first 
reported the Houthis had been taking supplies from the facility without the 
WFP's permission in the aftermath of the U.S. airstrikes. The United Nations 
agency later acknowledged the Houthis' actions to The Associated Press.

   "WFP regrets the de facto authorities' decision to seize some of the 
commodities," it said. "These commodities were intended for the most vulnerable 
food-insecure families. Only WFP and its partners have the authority to 
distribute them and ensure they reach the intended recipients."

   Yemen, at war since the Houthis seized Sanaa back in 2014, has been on the 
precipice of famine for years. But the U.N. in February suspended its 
operations in Saada over security concerns following the detentions of dozens 
of U.N. workers and others in recent months. A day later, the WFP announced one 
of its staffers died while imprisoned by the Houthis.