US airstrikes leave dozens dead in Yemen

The US launched large-scale airstrikes in Yemen during the weekend, killing at least 31 people, including children, days after the Houthis vowed to resume attacks against Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea to show solidarity with Palestinians amid the ongoing blockade in Gaza.

Saturday's campaign, which one US official told Reuters might continue for weeks, was the first in Yemen since US President Donald Trump assumed power in January and redesignated the Houthi group as a "foreign terrorist organization".

At least 31 were killed and 101 others injured in the strikes, mostly women and children, Anees al-Asbahi, spokesman for the Houthi-run health authorities, said on Sunday.

"The explosions were violent and shook the neighborhood like an earthquake. They terrified our women and children," a Sanaa resident, who gave his name as Abdullah Yahia, told Reuters.

In a statement, the Houthis' political bureau described the US attacks as a "war crime". "Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation," it said.

Palestinian group Hamas hit out at the US strikes, branding them "a stark violation of international law and an assault on the country's sovereignty and stability".

Hezbollah also condemned on Sunday the military strikes by the US against Yemen.

The airstrikes come a few days after the Houthis said on Tuesday they would resume attacks against any Israeli ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait until the crossings of the Gaza Strip are reopened and aid allowed in. The vital route carries nearly 12 percent of the world's shipping traffic.

From November 2023, Houthis have launched dozens of drone and rocket attacks against Israel-linked ships, forcing many companies into a costly detour around southern Africa and setting the US military on a costly campaign to intercept missiles and drones. The group stopped attacks on Jan 19 when the Gaza cease-fire deal took effect.

Trump, in a post on social media on Saturday, vowed to "use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective", citing the Houthis' threats against Red Sea shipping. He warned Houthis "your time is up" and that if they do not stop their attacks "starting today …Hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before".

He also warned Iran that it must "immediately" stop its support to the Houthis and vowed to hold Iran "fully accountable" for the Houthis' actions.

Iran's Foreign Ministry on Sunday condemned deadly US strikes, calling them a "gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter". In a post on X, its Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the Trump administration has "no authority, or business, dictating Iranian foreign policy".

In an apparent sign of efforts to improve ties with Russia, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Saturday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by telephone about the strikes.

"Lavrov stressed the need for an immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance for all sides to engage in political dialogue in order to find a solution that would prevent further bloodshed," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

'Misguided' move

Nabeel Khoury, a former US diplomat, told Al Jazeera that Trump's decision to launch attacks against the Houthis is misguided, and would not subdue the group.

"If you think that Hamas, living and fighting on a very small piece of land, totally surrounded by land, air and sea, and yet, 17 months of Israeli bombardment did not get rid of them. The Houthis live in a much more rugged space, mountainous regions — it would be virtually impossible to eradicate them," he said.

"So there is no military logic to what's happening, and there is no political logic either," he said.

"For our president who came in wanting to avoid war and wanting to be a man of peace, he's going about it the wrong way. There are many paths that can be used before you resort to war," Khoury said.

Trump's statement did not reference the conflict in Gaza.

In the Gaza Strip, authorities said nine people, including journalists, were killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday, attacks which could further endanger a fragile truce there.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said that among those killed were an editor and three photojournalists.

The syndicate's deputy head in Gaza, Tahseen al-Astal, told AFP that the attack targeted a charity vehicle, where the journalists were preparing reports and documentaries on the work of charitable organizations during Ramadan.

Following the deadliest strikes since the cease-fire took hold on Jan 19, Hamas accused Israel of a "blatant violation" of the truce.

The truce's first phase ended on March 1 without agreement on the next steps. A senior Hamas official said last week that fresh talks had begun in Doha, with Israel also sending negotiators.

Israel is prepared to continue Gaza cease-fire talks based on the mediators' response to a US proposal for the release of 11 living hostages and half of the deceased, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Hamas said on Saturday it will only release an American-Israeli and the bodies of four other hostages if Israel implements the cease-fire agreement.

A senior Hamas official said long-delayed talks over the cease-fire's second phase would need to begin on the day of the release and last no longer than 50 days, media reported.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.