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US Campaign Against Houthis Expected to Expand

A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)
A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)
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US Campaign Against Houthis Expected to Expand

A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)
A US fighter jet takes off from the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman to strike Houthis (AP)

The US campaign against the Houthis, launched by President Donald Trump, entered its third week with new airstrikes targeting the group’s strongholds.

Late Tuesday into Wednesday, the strikes hit Houthi positions in Saada province in the north, Hajjah province, and extended to the coastal governorate of Hodeidah along the Red Sea.

This comes amid growing anticipation of expanded operations, following the deployment of a second US aircraft carrier to the region.

While the Houthis claimed to have targeted US forces in the northern Red Sea with drones and missiles, a Yemeni minister revealed widespread panic among the group's leaders.

He noted that they had begun selling off properties and smuggling their families out via Sana’a airport.

Trump ordered the campaign against the Houthis on March 15, aiming to force the group to halt threats to maritime security.

He vowed to use “deadly force” and “eliminate them entirely” after the Houthis escalated attacks following the collapse of the second phase of the Gaza truce between Israel and Hamas.

Houthi media reported that airstrikes targeted the al-Mansuriyah district in Hodeidah, claiming they hit a water project and killed four civilians. The group also acknowledged that eastern Saada city was struck by five air raids.

The US campaign is expected to expand in the coming days after Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the deployment of the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson to the Middle East.

It will join the Harry S. Truman, which is currently leading strikes against the Houthis.

With the group remaining tight-lipped about its military losses, including equipment and senior figures, the full impact of the US offensive on its capabilities remains unclear.

Meanwhile, the Houthis’ defense minister claimed they were prepared for a “long-term confrontation.”

The Houthis joined the regional escalation following the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, launching around 200 missiles and drones toward Israel.

However, the attacks had little military impact, with the only reported fatality occurring in Tel Aviv in June.

 

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At Least 6 Killed in Libya’s Tripoli in Clashes Prompted by Killing of Armed Group Leader 

Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
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At Least 6 Killed in Libya’s Tripoli in Clashes Prompted by Killing of Armed Group Leader 

Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)
Members of the police are seen in the Libyan capital Tripoli. (EPA)

Clashes between heavily armed militias rocked the Libyan capital, with gunfire and explosions heard across the city following the killing of a powerful armed group leader, officials said. At least six people were killed, they said. 

The hourslong clashes, which involved heavy weapons, took place Monday evening into the early hours of Tuesday and centered in Tripoli’s southern neighborhood of Abu Salim, the officials said. 

The fighting stemmed from the killing of Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, commander of the Stabilization Support Authority, SSA, on Monday by another rival militia, a senior government and health official said. 

The SSA is an umbrella group of militias that rose to become one of the most powerful groups in western Libya during the country’s long-running conflict. Al-Kikli, who was known as “Gheniwa”, has been accused by Amnesty International of war crimes and other serious rights violations over the past decade. 

Al-Kikli was killed in a facility run by the 444 Brigade, a militia commanded by Mahmoud Hamza, another warlord close to head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, one of the officials said. 

Hamza’s group and their allies then attacked the offices of SSA across the capital, seizing their assets and detaining dozens of SSA fighters, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety. 

The Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency Services said in a statement that at least six people were killed in the vicinity of Abu Salim, the SSA stronghold. It said it helped evacuate many families trapped in the clashes. 

Residents reported heavy clashes and explosions in multiple areas in the capital, with dozens of vehicles carrying fighters affiliated with different groups in the streets. 

“It was a nightmare,” said Ahmed Ammer, who lives in the city center, adding that the clashes were reminiscent of the war that engulfed the North African country following the 2011 overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Moammar al-Gaddafi. 

He said the clashes subsided early Tuesday morning, but the situation has been tense with many fighters in the streets. 

Classes in the capital’s schools were suspended on Tuesday, according to the Tripoli-based education ministry. The University of Tripoli also said it suspended studies, exams and administrative work until further notice. 

Dbeibah’s government posted on its social media platforms early Tuesday that its forces carried out a military operation in Abu Salim and took full control of the area. It didn’t provide further details. 

In a statement, the UN mission in Libya expressed alarm about the “intense fighting with heavy weaponry in densely populated civilian areas” and warned that “attacks on civilians and civilian objects may amount to war crimes.” 

Libya has been divided for years between rival administrations in the east and west. Currently, it is governed by Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli and by the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad in the east.