:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(842x223:844x225)/Guy-Fieri-Batman-Superman-Worlds-Finest-issue-37-031825--a6b9da1f52ce4496b329022e7c129a60.jpg "Guy Fieri Gets a Superhero Makeover in a New DC Comic Book")
The White House shared photos of Trump watching the bombings while wearing a red signed MAGA hat, a Trump emblazoned polo t-shirt, and a large black headset. Critics were quick to question where the election promise of starting a new war vanished, according to TOI.
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Trump seen in Golf attire
Commentators observed that Trump was dressed in golf attire as he ordered to unleash ‘hell’ on Houthi rebels in Yemen. The MAGA hat and polo shirt combo is one Trump favours during rounds of golf, as seen in this alarming video of his ‘wobbly’ legs earlier this month.
Trump’s choice of clothing appears more relaxed than a previous raid he observed against ISIS in October 2019. He wore a suit and blue tie alongside military chiefs and vice president Mike Pence in the Situation Room to oversee strikes against leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to a report from Metro.
“President Trump is taking action against the Houthis to defend US shipping assets and deter terrorist threats,” the caption on the White House post read. “For too long American economic and national threats have been under assault by the Houthis. Not under this presidency,” the statement added.
The administration released the images of Trump remotely observing the attacks Saturday on a display screen at an unspecified Florida location along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Michael Walz. Video posted to social media by onlookers at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach show the president was there earlier in the day, as well as at the Trump International Golf Club West Palm Beach.
However, his strange choice of attire was not lost on some X users, with one commenting: “Bro is calling in air strikes while on the fairway! Brutal.” Another, recalling ex-president George W. Bush’s famous golf course quote, quipped: “Now watch this drive”.
US launches strikes against Houthis
Trump first announced the strikes in a post on his Truth Social platform, where he demanded the Iranian regime “IMMEDIATELY” halt support for the Yemeni militant group, adding: “America will hold you fully accountable and we won’t be nice about it!”
Iran’s military chief Hossein Salami said Sunday that his country “will not wage war, but if anyone threatens, it will give appropriate, decisive and conclusive responses.”
Trump also addressed the Houthis: “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!”
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The strikes targeting the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and areas in Saada and Al-Bayda continued into the early hours of Sunday. They are believed to be the first such attack on the Houthis during Trump’s second term. The Houthi-run Yemeni health ministry said Sunday that at least 32 people were killed and 101 more injured as a result of the strikes, most of them women and children.
The political bureau of the Houthis issued a statement calling the attack a “war crime” and said its armed forces “are fully prepared to respond to escalation with escalation.”
Trump’s administration ordered the strikes, which were launched by US Central Command from an aircraft carrier in the region, in response to Houthi attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea. The Houthis have stated that their attacks on international shipping are in support of Palestinians and the militant group Hamas, both of which receive backing from Iran.
As a key force in Yemen’s civil war, the group has also launched drones, missiles, and rockets at Israel since the onset of the Gaza conflict.
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On Saturday, the U.S. State Department announced that Rubio had called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to inform him of the strikes against the Houthis.
In recent months, Russia and Iran have deepened their military and trade ties.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that Lavrov emphasized to Rubio “the need for all parties to immediately cease the use of force and the importance of engaging in political dialogue to prevent further bloodshed.”
