US President Donald Trump has shared footage of what he contends was a strike on Houthi personnel in Yemen.
The video, apparently filmed by a drone, shows dozens of people standing in an oval in rural terrain.
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A munition falls from the sky, causing an explosion and leaving a large crater. Two vehicles and no bodies are visible in the aftermath.
“These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!” the president wrote. “They will never sink our ships again!”
Some were quick to suggest online that the people in the video were civilians participating in a tribal gathering, and posted photos of similar gatherings in Yemen in the past.
These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!
They will never sink our ships again! pic.twitter.com/lEzfyDgWP5
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 4, 2025
The Houthis control a large part of Yemen, including its capital, Sanaa. The armed group has been attacking merchant vessels in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait off the Red Sea and firing ballistic missiles at Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
The US stepped up its strikes in Yemen last month, as Trump vowed to restore the safety of navigation in the vital shipping area. “Your attacks must stop … If they don’t, hell will rain down upon you,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform in March.
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Yahya Saree, the spokesman for the Houthi military, reiterated on Friday that the group “will not abandon its religious, moral, and humanitarian duties toward the oppressed Palestinian people, regardless of the repercussions.”