Donald Trump states Houthis suffered heavy losses after US strikes and now seek peace
Donald Trump, President of the US (photo: Getty Images)
In mid-March, the US launched large-scale strikes on the Houthis in Yemen in response to their attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Now, after suffering losses, the Houthis are seeking peace, according to a Fox News broadcast.
"The Houthis want peace because they’re getting the hell knocked out of them. The Houthis are dying for peace. They don’t want this… They were knocking ships out of the ocean…. In the Suez Canal, they only have about 20% of the ships going through. They have to go through a different way, which takes weeks of travel, and that really affects commerce. But the Houthis have been hit hard, and they want to negotiate peace," Trump said.
What preceded this
Reminder: On March 15, US President Donald Trump announced that the US had launched large-scale military strikes on dozens of targets in Yemen. This was an attempt to reopen international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, which had been under attack by the Houthis for months, as well as a signal to Iran regarding Trump’s intent to negotiate a nuclear deal.
"Today, I have ordered the United States Military to launch decisive and powerful Military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen. They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones," the US president stated in a post.
The following day, Trump’s national security adviser, Mike Waltz, said that Washington’s strikes had targeted and ultimately eliminated several Houthi leaders supported by Iran.
In response, the Yemeni Houthis vowed retaliation and attacked the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, in the Red Sea. Houthi Brigadier General Yahya Saree announced the attack on March 16. In the following days, the Houthis also claimed to have launched additional strikes on the American aircraft carrier.
