JERUSALEM, Israel – The U.S. military pounded Houthi targets over the weekend and warned Hamas of a similar fate if they don't agree to a hostage deal.
Dozens of U.S airstrikes and missile strikes on Houthi strongholds in Yemen left at least 31 people dead, and some of them may have been Houthi leaders.
The attacks came after the Houthis warned they were about to resume hitting ships in the Red Sea and nearby waters. Earlier attacks by the Houthis since the start of the war in Gaza have disrupted global shipping costing billions of dollars.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News on Sunday, "Four months ago when we sent a ship through, it was shot at 17 times. Ships haven't been able to go through for over a year without being shot at. Freedom of navigation is basic. It's a core national interest."
President Donald Trump declared on Truth Social, "No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the waterways of the world."
The president also warned Iran to stop backing the Houthis, posting, "Beware, because America will hold you fully accountable and we won't be nice about it!" Iranian leaders repeated their denial that they were assisting the Houthis.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio claims America is doing the world a favor.
He stated on CBS Face the Nation, "The strike in Yemen is about their ability to – the ability of the Houthis – to strike global shipping and attack the U.S. Navy, and their willingness to do it. 174 times against the U.S. Navy, some 145 times against global shipping. That's what this strike is about."
Rubio added, "What we can't ignore and the reason why the president mentioned Iran is because the Iranians have supported the Houthis. They've provided them intelligence. They've provided them guidance. They've provided them weaponry."
Hegseth suggested the fight against the Houthis would not end with these strikes. "We're pounding them militarily," he said, and noted, "By the way, to the Houthis: this isn't a one-night thing. This will continue until you say, 'We're done shooting at ships. We're done shooting at assets.'"
The Houthis' political bureau warned that the "Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation."
Military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed, "The Yemeni Armed Forces will not hesitate to target all American warships in the Red Sea and in the Arabian Sea in retaliation for the aggression against our country."
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In addition to denying their assistance to the Houthis, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defiantly wrote on X, "The only path is that of resistance. That which has caused the U.S. and its allies to panic today is the fact that the Muslim nations are standing firmly and that this resistance will prove to be effective."
As for the war in Gaza, President Trump's special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witcoff has laid out a proposal for Hamas to free up to 11 more hostages and Israel to free more Palestinian prisoners, but Hamas' reply has been rejected by both Israel and the U.S.
"I'm not going to go into the specific details of what made it unacceptable," Witkoff declared," but it was totally unacceptable. I think there's an opportunity for them, but the opportunity is closing fast."
Secretary Rubio said of Hamas, "We're dealing with some savages. These are bad people, terrible people, and we need to treat them as such."
Witkoff said of the terror group's stalling, "Hamas is making a very bad bet that time is on its side. It is not."
He continued, "What happened with the Houthis yesterday, what happened with our strike, ought to inform as to where we stand with regard to terrorism and our tolerance level for terrorist actions. And I would encourage Hamas to get much more sensible than how they have been."
In a dispute that's gone public, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling for the head of Israel's main internal intelligence service, the Shin Bet, to be fired.
"I have ongoing distrust in the head of the Shin Bet. This distrust has grown over time," Netanyahu said.
The prime minister and Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar have differed about everything from who is to blame for October 7th to how to best free the Hamas-held hostages in Gaza.
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