Yemen Monitor / Newsroom:
Former U.S. President Donald Trump made headline-grabbing remarks on Tuesday, announcing that U.S. forces had carried out more than 1,100 air and naval strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen during a 52-day military campaign.
In a press statement during his current visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump said the attacks were halted following a “direct request” from the Houthis, who expressed “relief” at the end of the operations.
Trump stated, “We didn’t want to strike the Houthis, but they were targeting ships and had previously targeted Saudi Arabia. We hit them hard and got what we wanted.”
He added, “The US will not hesitate to use military force to defend Saudi Arabia.”
Trump justified the previous military escalation as a response to “Houthi provocations,” recalling the missile and drone attacks that had previously targeted areas inside Saudi Arabia.
He also accused the former Biden administration of being responsible for removing the Houthis from terrorism lists and contributing to regional instability.
The U.S. military campaign began in March 2025 and targeted Houthi positions across Yemen, including radar systems, air defenses, missile launch platforms, and drone facilities. The campaign resulted in hundreds of casualties and the destruction of numerous Houthi military installations.
