US kills senior Houthi leaders and warns Iran: The ayatollahs won’t ‘have their finger on the nuclear button’
Trump’s national security adviser announced that senior Houthi officials were killed in strikes in Yemen, but did not specify how many; Mike Waltz demanded that Iran stop aiding the terrorist organization; Defense Minister Pete Hegseth: “The attacks will continue until the Houthis say’ ‘We’re done shooting at ships.’; He emphasized that the operation was not intended to change the government situation in Yemen: ‘We don’t care what’s happening in the civil war there’
U.S. National Security Adviser Mike Waltz said Sunday afternoon that several “leaders” of the Houthi terror group were eliminated in the latest wave of U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. He did not specify how many were killed. Earlier reports in Arab media claimed six senior Houthi officials were killed, though these reports have not been independently verified. Waltz himself did not provide names or clarify the rank of those killed.
In an interview with ABC News, Waltz described the strikes as the most extensive to date, emphasizing — as did President Donald Trump — the difference between these attacks and the more limited strikes carried out under former President Joe Biden. “This wasn’t a pinprick, or repeated strikes that ultimately proved weak,” Waltz said, referring to Biden-era attacks that were highly measured and primarily aimed at thwarting imminent Houthi threats to ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Waltz said the current strikes represent a “decisive response” that has targeted and killed several Houthi leaders. He added that a key difference in Trump’s approach is holding Iran accountable for its support and financing of the Houthis. That backing, he said, has enabled the group to disrupt critical maritime trade routes through the Red Sea and Suez Canal under the guise of supporting Palestinians since the war in Gaza began.
Waltz stressed that Iran should “hear clearly” the message from Washington and immediately end its support for the Houthis, echoing Trump’s warning Saturday night at the launch of the air campaign. Waltz did not rule out potential strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, citing Tehran’s continued refusal to engage in negotiations for a new nuclear agreement and its rejection of harsher U.S. sanctions. “All options are on the table,” he said. “We cannot accept a world where the ayatollahs have their finger on the nuclear button.”
