Military expert: US strikes on Sana'a send a message to the Houthis and Iran that Trump is not Biden.

Military expert Hatem Al-Falahi said that the US strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen fall within the regional context in which the United States is trying to curb Iran's influence.

The strikes, according to the military expert, aim to weaken the Houthis' military capabilities and keep them away from the war in the Gaza Strip, but they will not be able to completely eliminate the group's capabilities.

In his analysis for Al Jazeera, Al-Falahi believes that the country's mountainous nature and the Houthis' lack of reliance on specific weapons depots make it difficult to completely destroy their capabilities. He added that these strikes may be a prelude to an operation aimed at reducing the group's control within Yemen.

But these strikes aim to "limit the Houthis' targeting of the heartland of Israel or ships in the Red Sea, especially since they receive significant support from Iran, particularly with regard to drones and ballistic missiles, which may appear more frequently in the future," Al-Falahi said.

The military expert believes that these strikes, which targeted military targets, send a message to the Houthis and Iran that Trump's approach to the group's threats will not be the same as that of his predecessor, Joe Biden's administration, which targeted economic targets.

The United States appears to have been gathering more intelligence over the past period to enable it to strike at the Houthis' military capabilities, according to Al-Falahi, who believes Iran is unlikely to abandon the Houthis after the losses it suffered in Lebanon and Syria, as it needs this leverage in any potential battle with the United States.

Trump threatens hell

In turn, Trump said on Truth Social that he had ordered a massive strike against the Houthis in Yemen, and that his country would not tolerate the group's behavior and would use overwhelming and lethal force against them.

He said the operation targets terrorist bases and leaders, adding, "I tell the Houthi terrorists that your time is up and you must stop your attacks, or hell will rain down upon you like you have never seen before."

The US President accused the Houthis of waging a sustained campaign of violence, piracy, and terrorism, targeting American and non-American ships, aircraft, and drones.

He also said the Biden administration's response to the Houthis was pathetically weak, vowing that he personally would not allow them to choke off shipping in one of the world's most important waterways. "American soldiers are waging a campaign against terrorists to restore freedom of navigation," he wrote in his post.

Trump also called on Iran to stop its support for the Houthis because the United States will not tolerate "those who target the interests of the American people," saying he has "the greatest mandate in history from the American people to address these threats."

In turn, the US Secretary of Defense said, "A warning has been issued to Iran, which supports the Houthis, and freedom of navigation will be restored," adding, "We will not tolerate Houthi attacks on our soldiers, ships, and aircraft."

Meanwhile, Axios quoted a US official as saying, "Today's attack is not a one-off event, but rather the beginning of ongoing attacks against the Houthis that will continue for days or weeks."

The official, whose identity was not revealed by the website, explained that "Trump ordered the Pentagon to prepare plans for an attack on Yemen weeks ago," adding that this attack comes after the Houthis were re-listed as a terrorist organization.

Source: Yemen Youth Net + Al Jazeera