Nine people killed as Trump orders strikes on Yemen

Nine people were killed in strikes on Yemen's capital, Houthi rebels said after US President Donald Trump announced an attack on the group.

Another nine people were wounded in the first US strikes on the Houthis since Mr Trump took office in January.

The group launched more than 100 attacks targeting shipping since November 2023, which they said were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel's war in Gaza.

An AFP photographer in Sanaa heard three explosions and saw plumes of smoke coming from a residential district in the north of the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa.

Security forces cordoned off the area immediately.

"Nine civilians were killed and nine others were injured, most of them seriously," the Houthis' health and environment ministry said in a statement on their Saba news agency.

The rebels' Al-Masirah TV station said an "American-British aggression raided a residential neighbourhood in the Shuub district" in Sanaa.

There was no immediate comment from British authorities.

The Houthis vowed to respond to the US strikes on Sanaa.

"This aggression will not pass without a response, and our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation," the rebels' political bureau said in a statement on their Al-Masirah television.

In a post on social media, Mr Trump vowed to "use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective", citing the Houthis' threats against Red Sea shipping.

The Houthis, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the "axis of resistance" of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the United States.

They have launched scores of drone and missiles attacks at ships passing Yemen in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden during the Gaza war, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The campaign crippled the vital route, which normally carries about 12% of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.

In response, the US has launched several rounds of strikes on Houthi targets, some with British support.

After halting their attacks when Gaza's ceasefire took effect in January, the Houthis last week threatened to resume them unless Israel lifts a blockade of aid to the shattered Palestinian territory.

The previous US administration of president Joe Biden had sought to degrade the Houthis' ability to attack vessels off its coast but limited the US actions.

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Mr Trump has authorised a more aggressive approach.

The strikes were carried out in part by aircraft from the Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, which is in the Red Sea, officials said.

Mr Trump held out the prospect of far more devastating military action against Yemen.

"The Houthi attack on American vessels will not be tolerated. We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective," Mr Trump wrote.