Secretary of State Marco Rubio says airstrikes on Iran-backed Houthis are “doing the world a favor”
Washington – Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday Air strike In Yemen, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels aimed at the group’s ability to strike global transport and attack U.S. forces and “fostered the world’s help.”
“We are helping the whole world by getting rid of these people and their ability to strike global transportation. This is the mission here and it will continue until it is executed,” Rubio said: “Facing the country with Margaret Brennan. ”
President Trump announced a strike on Saturday, saying the United States would use “overwhelming lethal force” until Houthis stopped launching the attack. U.S. Central Command confirmed the strike Social Media Posts U.S. officials told CBS News it is ready to expand its air and ocean campaigns based on the reactions of Huthis and Iran.
Mr. Trump signed an executive order in January redesignating Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. Mr. Trump designated Husseus as a terrorist organization in January 2021, but former President Joe Biden canceled the designation shortly thereafter due to limitations that would provide humanitarian assistance to Yemen, although the Biden administration continued to call the group a “specially designated global terrorist organization” in 2024.
Saturday’s strike came as Houthis, outside Yemen, destroyed transits of months of global transport locations in a major Red Sea transport point, and the group said earlier this week it would resume attacks on Israeli ships in response to the obstacles to Israeli aid to Gaza. The United States, Israel and Britain have previously attacked Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, but Rubio said the Biden administration has committed previous attacks on previous retaliatory strikes, but the new strike is “not a hit.”
“It’s not a message,” Rubio said. “It’s an effort to deny that they can continue to shrink and control the transport.”
The Secretary of State said that over the past 18 months, Houthis “attacked or attacked 174 U.S. naval vessels” while 145 attacks on commercial transport.
“So we basically have a pirate band with guiding anti-ship weapons and secure a toll system in one of the most important transport lanes in the world,” Rubio said. “That’s not sustainable.”
When asked how long the campaign will last, Rubio said it will continue until Houthis “no longer has the ability to do so.” He also admitted that so far he hadn’t heard of ground raids and wasn’t “necessary now.”
Rubio said as of Saturday night, “some of the key figures involved in these missile launches are no longer with us,” he added: “Some of the facilities they use no longer exist and that will continue.”
“We are not going to have people sitting with missiles attacking the U.S. Navy,” Rubio said. “It won’t happen. Not under President Trump.”
