Donald Trump Shared Details About Why the U.S. Resorted to Airstrikes Against Yemen

After the United States accidentally leaked its military plans in a text message, out of all the forms of communications it could have been, an attack was struck on Yemen. But, given the state of other relationships that the U.S. has with other countries, which from the outside look a lot more hostile, many were left wondering why the U.S. attacked Yemen and what either country has to gain by the conflict.

Donald Trump publicly shared his reason for condoning the attack. However, according to the U.S. Embassy website, "The United States is committed to Yemen’s stability, security and economic recovery, including supporting its ability to counter the malign influence of Iran and defeat terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda." So, how does the attack on Yemen factor into that? Trump shared his reason for the attack on social media.

According to Trump, the attack on Houthi rebels, and by extension, Yemen, is in response to Houthi attacks on American shipping vessels in the Red Sea.

"The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated," he wrote on Truth Social on March 15, 2025. "We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective."

In the same Truth Social post, Trump said that the military is "carrying out aerial attacks on the terrorists’ bases, leaders, and missile defenses." He added that it is all in an attempt to protect "navigational freedom" for naval bases and American air and shipping efforts. Prior to the attack, a reporter for The Atlantic shared online that he had been part of a group chat where Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth shared the details of the planned strike.

Later, more airstrikes continued in Yemen, with a goal of eliminating Houthi rebel leaders. According to the Associated Press, one airstrike hit and destroyed a building, injuring 13 people and killing at least two in the process. It's unclear, however, if this building was a weapons factory or "communications node" that national security adviser Mike Waltz told CBS News were targets, per AP.

Although the attack from the U.S. on Yemen in March 2025 was confusing for some, Houthi rebels have been present in the country since the 1990s. They are a political and religious extremist group that, according to the BBC, rebelled against Yemen’s leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh, in the early 2000s. They gradually took over nthe orthern and western parts of Yemen.

With the Houthi-occupied area also being where the Red Sea and ports are, the U.S. has taken action against the rebel forces who took control of the area. The U.S.’s attacks on Yemen are part of that, and until the military takes down the Houthis, it doesn’t look like there is an end in sight to the airstrikes from the U.S. into Yemen.