Hegseth Warns Iran Will ‘Pay the Consequence' for Backing Yemen's Houthis
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday warned Iran it faces serious military consequences for supporting the Houthis.
The U.S. operation against the Houthis in Yemen, dubbed Operation Rough Rider, has been targeting the terrorists as the Trump administration negotiates with Iran over its nuclear program.
In an April 30 social media
Message to IRAN:
We see your lethal support to The Houthis. We know exactly what you are doing. You know very well what the U.S. Military is capable of—and you were warned. You will pay the CONSEQUENCE at the time and place of our choosing.'
The United States and Iran are set to reconvene for talks in Rome on Saturday. Mediated by the Gulf state of Oman, the talks are aimed at sealing a deal that would block Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon while lifting economic sanctions imposed by Washington.
The United States and Iran have so far held three rounds of indirect talks.
The United States is conducting strikes on Yemen from two aircraft carriers in the region, the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.
Related Stories
4/30/2025
4/28/2025
It is targeting the Iranian-backed Houthis because of the group's attacks on Israel and shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route.
On April 27, the United States Central Command (USCENTCOM)
Yemen's government has also been battling against the Houthis, who have taken control of portions of Yemen in recent years. Just south of Saudi Arabia, Yemen sits on the Gulf of Aden and has a population of about 39 million.
The Houthis, who are supportive of Hamas in Gaza, have stated that they attack ships connected to Israel.
Iran has supplied drones and drone technology to its allies in the so-called Axis of Resistance, which includes the Houthis in Yemen and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Both have used drones against Israel, although the Houthis have tended to target shipping in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandab Strait.
In
In remarks published by state-run Tasnim News, he
The UK's Royal Air Force
It was the UK's first involvement with the United States' new and intensified campaign targeting the group.
The UK's Ministry of Defence described the site that was targeted as 'a cluster of buildings, used by the terrorists to manufacture drones of the type used to attack ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, located some 15 miles south of Sanaa.'
The defense ministry
'The strike was conducted after dark, when the likelihood of any civilians being in the area was reduced yet further.'
In a statement
Healey said the action was taken in response to a 'persistent threat' from the Houthis to freedom of navigation.
'A 55 percent drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,' Healey said. 'The Government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people.'
The strikes come ahead of the expected passage of the
Guy Birchall and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
2 hours ago
- CNBC
Trump says Elon Musk will face 'serious consequences' if he backs Democratic candidates
President Donald Trump told NBC News on Saturday that Elon Musk would see "serious consequences" if he backs Democratic candidates who challenge Republicans supporting the "big, beautiful bill." "If he does, he'll have to pay the consequences for that," Trump told NBC News' Kristen Welker in a phone interview. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," he continued, without giving specifics on what that would look like. Trump also said that he thinks his relationship with Musk is done after their public feud erupted this week. "I gave him a lot of breaks, long before this happened, I gave him breaks in my first administration and saved his life in my first administration," Trump said. "I have no intention of speaking to him," Trump added. When asked whether he thinks his relationship with Musk is over, he said, "I would assume so." Trump also accused Musk of being "disrespectful to the office of the president." Trump's remarks are among his most extensive public comments yet on his feud with Musk, and the latest sign that the president is not interested in mending his relationship with the onetime ally. Musk has been a vocal critic of the Trump-backed spending bill that moved through the House last month. Earlier this week, Musk called the spending bill a "disgusting abomination" that will lead to exploding federal budget deficits. "In November next year, we fire all politicians who betrayed the American people," he wrote in a separate X post. Musk's criticism of the spending package — which is now being considered in the Senate — is in part what spurred the clash between the two men. Trump told NBC News that he is still "very confident" that the bill will be passed by July 4, and that he doesn't think Musk could derail the bill. "If you look at the Republicans, we've never been more unified," Trump told NBC News. "The bill is fantastic."
Los Angeles Times
2 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Israel backs anti-Hamas militia known for looting aid in Gaza. Here's what we know
JERUSALEM — Israel is supporting armed groups of Palestinians in Gaza in what it says is a move to counter Hamas. But officials from the U.N. and aid organizations say the military is allowing them to loot food and other supplies from their trucks. One self-styled militia that calls itself the Popular Forces, led by Yasser Abu Shabab, says it is guarding newly created, Israeli-backed food distribution centers in southern Gaza. Aid workers say it has a long history of looting U.N. trucks. Gaza's armed groups have ties to powerful clans or extended families and often operate as criminal gangs. Aid workers allege Israel's backing of the groups is part of a wider effort to control all aid operations in the strip. Israel denies allowing looters to operate in areas it controls. Here's what we know about anti-Hamas armed groups in Gaza: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a social media video Thursday that Israel had 'activated' clans in Gaza to oppose Hamas. He didn't elaborate how Israel is supporting them or what role Israel wants them to play. Netanyahu's comments were in response to a political opponent accusing him of arming 'crime families' in Gaza. Clans, tribes and extended families have strong influence in Gaza, where their leaders often help mediate disputes. Some have long been armed to protect their group's interests, and some have morphed into gangs involved in smuggling drugs or running protection rackets. After seizing power in 2007, Hamas clamped down on Gaza's gangs — sometimes with brute force and sometimes by steering perks their way. But with Hamas' weakening power after 20 months of war with Israel, gangs have regained freedom to act. The leadership of a number of clans — including the clan from which the Abu Shabab group's members hail — have issued statements denouncing looting and cooperation with Israel. Besides the Abu Shabab group, it is not known how many armed groups Israel is supporting. The Abu Shabab group went public in early May, declaring itself a 'nationalist force.' It said it was protecting aid, including around the food distribution hubs run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a mainly American private contractor that Israel intends to replace the U.N.-led aid network. Aid workers and Palestinians who know the group estimate it has several hundred fighters. The Abu Shabab group's media office told the Associated Press it was collaborating with GHF 'to ensure that the food and medicine reaches its beneficiaries.' It said it was not involved in distribution, but that its fighters secured the surroundings of distribution centers run by GHF inside military-controlled zones in the Rafah area. A spokesperson with GHF said it had 'no collaboration' with Abu Shabab. 'We do have local Palestinian workers we are very proud of, but none is armed, and they do not belong to Abu Shabab's organization,' the spokesperson said, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group's rules. Before the war, Yasser Abu Shabab was involved in smuggling cigarettes and drugs from Egypt and Israel into Gaza through crossings and tunnels, according to two members of his extended family, one of whom was once part of his group. Hamas arrested Abu Shabab but freed him from prison along with most other inmates when the war began in October 2023, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. Abu Shabab's media office said he was summoned by police before the war but wasn't officially accused or tried. It also said claims the group was involved in attacking aid trucks were 'exaggerated,' saying its fighters 'took the minimum amount of food and water necessary.' The head of the association in Gaza that provides trucks and drivers for aid groups said their members' vehicles have been attacked many times by Abu Shabab's fighters. Nahed Sheheiber said the group has been active in Israeli-controlled eastern parts of Rafah and Khan Younis, targeting trucks as they enter Gaza from the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel. Troops nearby 'did nothing' to stop attacks, he said. Sheheiber said that when Hamas police officers have tried to confront gangs or guard truck convoys, they were attacked by Israeli troops. One driver, Issam Abu Awda, said he was attacked by Abu Shabab fighters last July. The fighters stopped his truck, blindfolded and handcuffed him and his assistant, then loaded the supplies off the vehicle, he said. Abu Awda said nearby Israeli troops didn't intervene. These kinds of attacks are still happening and highlight 'a disturbing pattern,' according to Jonathan Whittall, from the U.N. humanitarian coordinator, OCHA. 'Those who have blocked and violently ransacked aid trucks seem to have been protected' by Israeli forces, said Whittall, head of OCHA's office for the occupied Palestinian territories. And, he added, they have now become the 'protectors of the goods being distributed through Israel's new militarized hubs,' referring to the GHF-run sites. The Israeli military did not reply when asked for comment on allegations it has allowed armed groups to loot trucks. But the Israeli prime minister's office called the accusations 'fake news,' saying, 'Israel didn't allow looters to operate in Israeli controlled areas.' Israel often accuses Hamas of stealing from trucks. Muhammad Shehada, a political analyst from Gaza who is a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said he doesn't believe Israel's support for armed groups is aimed at directly fighting Hamas. So far there has been no attempt to deploy the groups against the militants. Instead, he said, Israel is using the gangs and the looting to present GHF 'as the only alternative to provide food to Palestinians,' since its supplies get in while the U.N.'s don't. Israel wants the GHF to replace the U.N.-led aid system because it claims Hamas has been siphoning off large amounts of supplies. The U.N. denies that significant amounts have been taken by Hamas. Israel has also said it aims to move all Palestinians in Gaza to a 'sterile zone' in the south, around the food hubs, while it fights Hamas elsewhere. The U.N. and aid groups have rejected that as using food as a tool for forced displacement. The Abu Shabab group has issued videos online urging Palestinians to move to tent camps in Rafah. Israel barred all food and other supplies from entering Gaza for 2 ½ months pending the start of GHF — a blockade that has brought the population to the brink of famine. GHF started distributing food boxes on May 26 at three hubs guarded by private contractors inside Israeli military zones. Israel has let in some trucks of aid for the U.N. to distribute. But the U.N. says it has been able to get little of it into the hands of Palestinians because of Israeli military restrictions, including requiring its trucks to use roads where looters are known to operate. 'It's Israel's way of telling the U.N., if you want to try to bring aid into Gaza, good luck with this,' said Shehada. 'We will force you to go through a road where everything you brought will be looted.' Frankel, Mednick, Magdy and Keath write for the Associated Press. Magdy and Keath reported from Cairo.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Trump warns of possible military action if Iran enriches more uranium: ‘We're going to have no choice'
WASHINGTON — President Trump warned Friday that Iran will not be allowed to enrich uranium — hinting at possible military strikes following the revelation that Tehran has been secretly building out a near weapons-grade nuclear program for months. 'They won't be enriching. If they enrich, then we're going to have to do it the other way,' Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. 'And I don't really want to do it the other way but we're going to have no choice,' he added. 'There's not going to be enrichment.' 5 'They won't be enriching. If they enrich, then we're going to have to do it the other way,' President Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. AP Israel also reassured the White House earlier this week that it won't launch an attack on Iranian nuclear sites unless Trump signals that ongoing talks with Tehran about its nuclear program have failed, Axios reported. 'He may go into a war. But we're not getting dragged in,' Trump had said of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Time magazine interview in April to mark his first 100 days in office. 'I may go in very willingly if we can't get a deal. If we don't make a deal, I'll be leading the pack.' In May, the president said he'd warned Netanyahu not to bomb Tehran's nuclear facilities because the US had been 'having very good discussions with' Iranian negotiators. But Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that ending uranium enrichment was '100%' against his country's interests — and lashed out at the US for being 'arrogant' in its proposal for a revamped nuclear deal. That drafted agreement, submitted by Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff on May 31, permitted low-level uranium enrichment for civilian use. 5 Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Wednesday that ending uranium enrichment was '100%' against his country's interests. via Getty Images 'Who are you to decide whether Iran should have enrichment?' Khamenei said in a televised speech. 'If we had 100 nuclear power plants while not having enrichment, they are not usable for us.' On Tuesday, the State Department clarified that the US did not support Iran enriching uranium at any level. 5 Levels of 90% uranium enrichment are considered weapons-grade. REUTERS 'The fact is, President Trump tweeted that there is going to be no uranium enrichment,' spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. The US and Iran have already gone through five rounds of talks over the nuclear issue — without any breakthroughs. The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency last week reportedly disclosed that, in the background, Tehran had been upping its 60%-enriched uranium stockpile — from 274.8 kilograms to 408.6 kilograms between February and May — a roughly 50% jump between February and May. 5 A nuclear deal proposal, submitted by Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff on May 31, would permit low-level uranium enrichment for civilian use. Getty Images Levels of 90% are considered weapons-grade, and US officials have warned that Iran could convert their stockpile to reach that threshold needed for a single weapon in two weeks' time. That prompted Netanyahu to call on international allies 'to stop Iran,' sounding the alarm about the uranium enrichment levels being only appropriate for 'countries actively pursuing nuclear weapons.' Trump previously revived a 'maximum pressure' of sanctions on Iran after returning to the White House — and European nations privy to the UN nuclear report's findings may also be considering further snapback sanctions previously lifted under former President Barack Obama's nuclear agreement with Tehran. 5 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week called on international allies 'to stop Iran,' sounding the alarm about the uranium enrichment levels being only appropriate for 'countries actively pursuing nuclear weapons.' AP That 2015 deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, was supposed to reduce Iran's stockpile of enriched uranium by 98%, though the UN findings have undercut that. Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal in 2018.
