Fresh Airstrikes Target Houthis as Rubio Promises No Letup Until Shipping Lanes Safe

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the airstrikes would go on until the Houthis no longer dictate which vessels can navigate the Red Sea shipping lanes.

An unidentified U.S. Navy ship fires missiles at the Houthis in Yemen from an undisclosed location on March 15, 2025. U.S. Central Command/via Reuters

The United States carried out renewed airstrikes on the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on March 16, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said they would not let up until international shipping lanes in the region were safe for commercial vessels.

The Houthi-run health ministry in Yemen said U.S. strikes have killed at least 53 people, including five women and two children, and wounded almost 100 in the capital, Sanaa, and in the governorate of Saada, close to the border with Saudi Arabia.