Washington — Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Sunday that the U.S. airstrikes In Yemen, the Iran-supported Houthi rebels are focusing on undermining the group's capability to target international maritime traffic and assault the U.S. armed forces, and they claim this action is benefiting the globe.
We are doing everyone a service by eliminating these individuals and their capability to target international maritime traffic. Our objective is clear, and we won’t stop until this task is accomplished. Rubio stated on "Face the Nation" with Margaret Brennan ."
President Trump declared the strikes on Saturday, stating that the U.S. will employ "substantial lethal force" until the Houthis stop launching assaults. The U.S. Central Command verified the attack in a statement. social media post On Saturday, a U.S. official informed CBS News that they are ready to prolong their offensive against the Houthis via air and sea operations for an extended period, possibly lasting several weeks, contingent upon how the Houthis and Iran respond.
A U.S. official reported that American fighter jets intercepted approximately 11 drones dispatched by the Houthis throughout several hours on Sunday morning locally. Additionally, the same official mentioned that the group fired a ballistic missile which landed in the sea far before reaching the USS Harry S. Truman.
In January, Mr. Trump issued an executive order redesignating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization. Previously, in January 2021, Mr. Trump had labeled them as a terror group. However, after taking office, President Joe Biden rescinded this designation because of potential obstacles it posed for providing humanitarian assistance to Yemen. Despite this, the Biden administration later classified the group as a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist Organization" in 2024.
On Saturday, strikes occurred amid ongoing disruptions caused by the Houthis from Yemen at a crucial Red Sea passage used globally for maritime trade. The group had announced earlier in the week that they would restart their assaults on Israeli vessels due to Israel’s restrictions on providing assistance to Gaza. Both the U.S., Israel, and the UK have targeted regions under Houthi control within Yemen before. However, Senator Marco Rubio indicated that these latest strikes aren’t isolated incidents; unlike past responses where the Biden administration conducted punitive airstrikes following prior offenses, suggesting instead a more sustained offensive effort.
“This is not merely a message,” Rubio stated. “It’s aimed at preventing them from continuing to restrict and dominate maritime traffic.”
The Secretary of State stated that during the past 18 months, the Houthis have carried out "174 strikes or assaults on U.S. naval vessels" as well as 145 attacks on commercial ships.
What we essentially have here is a group of pirates equipped with highly accurate anti-ship missiles enforcing their own toll system along one of the busiest maritime trade routes globally," Rubio stated. "This situation cannot endure indefinitely.
When asked about the duration of the campaign, Rubio stated that it would persist until the Houthis “are no longer capable.” He also admitted that he hasn’t encountered discussions regarding ground assaults yet and believes there’s currently “no need” for such operations.
As of Saturday night, Rubio stated, "several individuals crucial to those missile launches are no longer among us," and he also mentioned that "certain facilities they utilized no longer exist, and this situation will persist."
"We won’t allow situations where individuals launch missiles at the U.S. Navy,” Rubio stated. “That’s not happening. Certainly not during President Trump’s tenure.”
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