The Trump administration has vowed to proceed its navy strikes towards the Houthi motion that controls a lot of Yemen, and says it should maintain Iran accountable for any retaliation from its ally. Since Saturday, U.S. warplanes have launched dozens of large-scale assaults on a number of cities throughout Yemen, killing dozens of individuals. The strikes got here after the Houthis threatened to renew assaults on Israeli-linked ships within the Purple Sea in response to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip. For extra on Yemen and the regional dynamics, we converse with Saudi journalist and filmmaker Safa Al Ahmad, who has been reporting on Yemen since 2010. “Supporting the Palestinians … has extremely elevated Houthi reputation,” says Al Ahmad.
TRANSCRIPT
This can be a rush transcript. Copy will not be in its last type.
AMY GOODMAN: That is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I’m Amy Goodman, with Juan González.
We flip now to Yemen, the place the Trump administration has vowed to proceed navy strikes towards the Houthis, which controls massive elements of Yemen. Since Saturday, U.S. warplanes have launched dozens of large-scale navy assaults on a number of cities throughout Yemen. The Trump administration ordered the strikes after the Houthis threatened to renew assaults on Israeli-linked ships within the Purple Sea in response to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, President Trump stated the U.S. will maintain Iran accountable for any additional assaults by the Houthis, and threatened the Iranian authorities with dire penalties. Trump wrote on Fact Social, “Each shot fired by the Houthis will likely be seemed upon, from this level ahead, as being a shot fired from the weapons and management of IRAN, and IRAN will likely be held accountable, and endure the implications, and people penalties will likely be dire!” Trump stated.
Iran’s ambassador to the U.S. expressed his deep concern and powerful condemnation of the statements in a letter to the U.N. Safety Council.
At a press briefing in a while Monday, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt underscored President Trump’s warnings.
PRESS SECRETARY KAROLINE LEAVITT: Our message to Iran is: You higher take this president critically. And I believe the Houthis realized that the onerous manner this previous weekend. As I stated in my opening remarks, there’s a brand new sheriff on the town, and this president isn’t just going to take a seat on his arms and permit terrorists to launch assaults on industrial vessels and U.S. naval ships. These actions is not going to be tolerated.
AMY GOODMAN: The Houthis, in the meantime, are vowing to proceed assaults towards all, quote, “hostile targets” within the Purple Sea till the assaults on Yemen cease. Additionally they declare to have attacked three U.S. warships within the Purple Sea.
Yemen’s Well being Ministry says a minimum of 53 individuals have been killed in U.S. strikes, nearly all of them girls and kids. UNICEF has confirmed a minimum of two youngsters have been killed in U.S. strikes, contradicting claims by Pentagon officers Monday that no civilians have been harmed within the bombing of Yemen.
LT. GEN. ALEXUS GRYNKEWICH: On the civilian casualty aspect, no indications of any civilian casualties. We, after all, have seen a few of the accusations by the Houthis. We have a look at these intently after they do are available in, however now we have no credible indications of any civilian casualties.
AMY GOODMAN: For extra on Yemen, we’re joined now by a visitor who’s spent years reporting on Yemen’s civil conflict and the Houthis, journalist Safa Al Ahmad. She is the award-winning director of the Frontline documentaries Yemen Beneath Siege and The Struggle for Yemen. Her final piece for Frontline, Concentrating on Yemen, investigated the final main assault by the Trump administration on Yemen again in 2017. Safa joins us now from Menlo Park, California.
Welcome to Democracy Now! We simply have a couple of minutes, and I’m questioning for those who can discuss in regards to the significance of those main strikes on Yemen this weekend, Safa, which can be ongoing.
SAFA AL AHMAD: Sure. I imply, that is fairly vital, however, sadly, this has been taking place in Yemen by throughout many administrations, since George W. Bush. However now the reasoning is totally different. And sadly, Biden had been doing that in Yemen for a similar excuse, for the liberty of motion of vessels within the Purple Sea, however to not this variety of casualties. That is fairly a stunning quantity.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And, Safa, on social media, President Trump vowed to make use of overwhelming deadly pressure like nothing you’ve seen earlier than towards Yemen. What’s your sense? And in addition, his try to blame Iran and threaten Iran for any additional assaults, your response to these feedback of the president?
SAFA AL AHMAD: I believe these feedback are deceptive and indicating that the connection between Iran and the Houthis, or Ansar Allah, are just like that of, say, Hezbollah and Lebanon. They don’t seem to be the identical. They don’t adhere essentially to what Iran says. Sure, they do have a really shut relationship, however to not the identical extent. And so, that is disingenuous in saying that every part that the Houthi does is beneath the direct command of the Iranians, and this isn’t true.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And initially, the Houthis had paused their assaults towards Israeli vessels however stated they might renew them final week after Israel halted entry of humanitarian support to Gaza. Are there any experiences that they really attacked Israeli vessels?
SAFA AL AHMAD: To not my data. And they didn’t preserve to their phrase of not attacking any vessels throughout the ceasefire. However clearly, now all bets are off, particularly with, sadly, what’s been taking place in the previous couple of hours with over 400 lifeless in Gaza. So, God is aware of what would be the Houthi response at this level.
However I don’t suppose that the Individuals’ assault on Yemen this time was in response to assault, however quite as a result of the Houthis had introduced that they may begin attacking once more if the ceasefire doesn’t maintain and in the event that they don’t raise the embargo on all the help that was coming into Gaza, which has stopped a number of weeks in the past.
AMY GOODMAN: On Sunday, the top of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard insisted Iran will not be concerned with the Houthi assaults, saying Iran, quote, “performs no function in setting the nationwide or operational insurance policies of the Houthis.” As we wrap up, Safa, do you imagine this?
SAFA AL AHMAD: To a sure diploma, sure. However they do have a relationship, so I don’t know what sort of stress the Iranians are on to cease the Houthis from attacking. However that’s no assure that the Houthis would cease the assaults.
JUAN GONZÁLEZ: And in addition, has the solidarity of the Houthis with the Palestinians elevated their reputation throughout the Center East?
SAFA AL AHMAD: Immensely. Immensely. Even people who find themselves towards them inside Yemen and people inside the Yemeni authorities in Aden, for instance, all — everybody says that what the Houthis have finished, not one of the different Arab nations have proven the braveness in an impactful manner on what’s taking place in Gaza. They’re the one ones who’ve actually impacted financially the commerce within the Purple Sea. And so, to many, many individuals, not simply within the Arab world, that elevated their credibility, despite the fact that they’re accused of their very own human rights violations inside Yemen. However from an outsider perspective, but in addition inside Yemen itself, supporting the Palestinians in Gaza and Palestine usually has extremely elevated Houthi reputation and lessened the critique on the Houthis themselves in what they’re doing domestically.
AMY GOODMAN: Safa Al Ahmad, I wish to thanks a lot for being with us, Saudi journalist who’s been reporting on Yemen since 2010. She’s the award-winning director of the Frontline documentaries Yemen Beneath Siege and The Struggle for Yemen.
Arising, Donald Trump went over to the Kennedy Heart for the Arts. He’s taken it over. We’ll converse to people musicians Nora Brown and Stephanie Coleman, who carried out final week on the middle and unfurled protest banners on stage. Stick with us.
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