BREAKING: US-UK Airstrikes Kill Civilians in Sanaa as Trump Vows Escalation
At least nine civilians were killed in US-UK airstrikes on Sanaa, hours after Trump vowed an aggressive military campaign against Ansarallah.
At least nine civilians were killed and nine others wounded, most in critical condition, after US-UK airstrikes targeted civilian sites in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, on Saturday evening, according to the Yemeni Ministry of Health and Environment.
In a statement to the Yemeni News Agency (SABA), the ministry condemned the strikes, calling them a full-fledged war crime and a blatant violation of international laws and conventions.
It warned that the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure would have severe humanitarian consequences, particularly in a country already devastated by years of war, economic collapse, and one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
According to the Yemeni news outlet Al-Masirah, American and British fighter jets carried out multiple airstrikes on Sanaa, with violent explosions heard in several neighborhoods, including Al-Jarraf and Shu’ub.
🚨 US-UK airstrikes kill injure civilians in Sanaa
At least 9 killed, 9 wounded in attacks on civilian sites in the Yemeni capital, according to Yemen’s Health Ministry. The ministry condemned the strikes as a war crime.
More details ⬇️ #Yemen #Sanaa pic.twitter.com/tVWteYfwDR
— The Palestine Chronicle (@PalestineChron) March 15, 2025
The airstrikes came just hours after US President Donald Trump announced that he had ordered the military to launch a “decisive and forceful military operation” against the Ansarallah movement.
In a statement, Trump claimed the attacks were necessary to protect American shipping interests and restore freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, which has been disrupted by the group’s targeting of Israeli and Israeli-linked vessels.
He warned that if the Ansarallah did not cease their attacks, they would face unprecedented retaliation, saying, “hell will rain down on you like you have never seen before.”
Trump also took aim at his predecessor, Joe Biden, calling his administration’s response to the group’s attacks “pathetically weak,” and arguing that this had emboldened them to escalate their operations.
He accused the Ansarallah of waging a sustained campaign of “piracy, violence, and terrorism” against American ships, aircraft, and drones and vowed to use overwhelming lethal force until the group was neutralized.
Ansarallah Resumes Naval Blockade on Israeli Ships after Deadline Expires
Trump also issued a warning to Iran, urging it to stop supporting the Ansarallah and not to “threaten the American people, our president, or global shipping lanes.”
The escalation comes amid months of rising tensions in the region. Since November 2023, Ansarallah has been targeting Israeli and Israeli-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea, declaring its operations a show of solidarity with Gaza amid Israel’s ongoing military campaign.
The group has since expanded its attacks, targeting US and UK warships and drones, and has declared all American and British vessels legitimate military targets. In response, Washington and London began launching air and missile strikes on Ansarallah-controlled areas in early 2024, further fueling regional instability.
(PC, SABA, AJA)