Trump warns of 'swift justice' while sharing chilling clip of strike on suspected Houthi fighter
The video comes as Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for shooting down a US drone, the fourth such unmanned aircraft in two weeks.
Donald Trump has warned of “swift justice” while sharing footage of a pinpoint strike on a suspected Houthi rebel fighter.
The chilling aerial clip shows the US military tracking a person as they walk through scrubland in what’s thought to be Yemen. But within seconds, a bomb explodes just a few feet from them, presumably killing them instantly. The president triumphantly shared the attack video on his Truth Social platform yesterday, saying he had “empowered our warfighters” to take out the Iranian backed group's militants.
He wrote: “Time for the terrorists to hide, but it won’t do them any good. Our Warfighters, the Greatest the World has ever seen, will find them, and bring them to swift Justice. I just got rid of Joe Biden’s dangerous red tape and empowered our Warfighters, once again, just like I did against our fight with ISIS, who were completely obliterated in three weeks under General Daniel Caine, our new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This comes as Trump's 'real height' has been detailed in a recently released medical report.
If you can't see the clip below, click here
Trump went on: “We will support the Somali People, who should not allow the Houthis to embed (which they are trying to do!), to end terrorism, and bring prosperity to their Country.”
The video comes as Houthi rebel commanders said at least six people died and 26 were injured in US strikes overnight on Yemen’s capital, per AP. They also claimed to have shot down an American MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The intense campaign of U.S. airstrikes, which began nearly a month ago under President Donald Trump's administration, has been targeting the rebels due to their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters - a situation linked to the Israel-Hamas war. The Houthis' Health Ministry released figures on Monday indicating that over 120 people have so far been killed as a result of these strikes.
Footage broadcast by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel depicted firefighters battling a fierce fire, which they claim was ignited by the airstrikes. Debris was scattered across a street as rescuers transported one individual away from the scene, which the rebels assert was a ceramics factory located in the Bani Matar neighborhood of Sanaa, the capital.
The U.S. military's Central Command, responsible for overseeing American military operations, has not confirmed the strikes. This is consistent with the command's usual approach, which now has permission from the White House to carry out bombing raids at will in the campaign that commenced on March 15.
The American military has also refrained from providing any information regarding the targets hit. The White House has stated that over 200 strikes have been conducted so far. However, the Houthis have declared they successfully shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over Yemen's Hajjah governorate, a region bordering the Red Sea and Saudi Arabia.
Houthi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree announced in a video that this was the fourth drone shot down within two weeks by the rebels using "a locally manufactured missile." Possessing powerful missiles like the Iranian-developed 358, the Houthis have shown their capability to bring down aircraft. While Iran has consistently denied supplying the rebels with arms, evidence of Tehran-made weapons has surfaced on battlefields and intercepted at sea en route to the Houthis, sidestepping a UN arms embargo.
General Atomics' costly Reapers, with a price tag of $30 million each, are known for high-altitude, long-duration flights and have been used extensively by U.S. forces and the CIA in regions including Afghanistan, Iraq, and now Yemen. U.S. Central Command has acknowledged "reports" regarding the downed drone but offered no further details.