"Today, I have ordered the United States military to launch decisive and powerful military action against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen," Trump said in a Truth Social post.
"They have waged an unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence and terrorism against American and other ships, aircraft and drones," Trump said.
"[President] Joe Biden's response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going," Trump said about Houthi activities in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
"It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden," Trump said. "The last American warship to go through the Red Sea four months ago was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times."
Trump said Iran funds the Houthis, which the Trump administration recently designated a foreign terrorist organization.
"The Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft and targeted our troops and allies," he said. "These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and world economy many billions of dollars while ... putting innocent lives at risk."
Trump said U.S. forces are carrying out aerial attacks on Houthi bases, leaders and missile defense sites to protect U.S. commercial shipping, air and naval assets to restore navigational freedom in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
"No terrorist force will stop American commercial and naval vessels from freely sailing the waterways of the world," Trump said.
"To all Houthi terrorists: Your time is up and your attacks must stop, starting today," he said. "If they don't, hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before!"
Trump also warned Iranian leaders to immediately end their support of Houthi terrorists and cautioned them against threatening him and the U.S. people.
"If you do, beware," Trump said, " because America will hold you fully accountable, and we won't be nice about it!"
The U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy carried out aerial strikes with jet aircraft and drones on Saturday and will continue the attacks for several days and possibly weeks, The Hill reported.
"U.S. Central Command initiated an operation consisting of precision strikes against Iran-backed Houthi targets across Yemen in order to restore freedom of navigation," CENTCOM officials said Saturday in a statement.
Yemen's Houthi-run health ministry reported 13 people were killed and nine injured during the military strikes in Yemen on Saturday, The BBC reported.
Houthi leaders accused the United States and the United Kingdom of "wicked" military aggression that they said targeted residential areas in Yemen's capital city of Sanaa on Saturday.
The Houthis control Sanaa and northwestern Yemen but are not the nation's official government.
The Houthis in 2023 began attacking Israeli-flagged vessels and others that they suspected of supporting Israel with military equipment and other supplies, but the attacks have targeted many other vessels, too.
The U.S. Congress reported 190 attacks in the Red Sea by Houthi forces from November 2023 through October 2024.
The United States and the United Kingdom have conducted joint air and naval strikes against Houthi targets while Israel has launched separate strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
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