The Houthi-run Health Ministry reported that at least 53 people, including five women and two children, were killed and over 100 others wounded in overnight US airstrikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa, according to media reports.

The US has increased its strikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis, with President Donald Trump vowing on Saturday to use “overwhelming lethal force” against the rebels, who have been attacking international ships in the Red Sea in “solidarity” with Gaza.

Multiple US strikes on Sanaa and other areas have caused significant casualties, with the Houthis warning of further escalation as they face one of the most extensive attacks since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023.

The US airstrikes began around midnight on Sunday, targeting the capital Sanaa and other areas, including the Houthi stronghold of Saada province.

Trump warned that the Houthis must stop their attacks on international ships in the Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes. He declared that if they continue, “hell will rain down” on them like “nothing you have seen before.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News on Sunday that the strikes would continue until the Iran-backed militants “no longer have the capability” to attack international ships.

The Houthis have repeatedly targeted international shipping in the Red Sea, sinking two vessels, which they claim are acts of solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel remains at war with Hamas, another Iranian ally.

Rubio stated that over the past 18 months, the Houthis had attacked the US Navy “directly” 174 times and targeted commercial shipping 145 times using “guided precision anti-ship weaponry.”

The attacks had stopped since a Gaza ceasefire came into effect in January. However, last week the Houthis announced they would resume attacks against Israeli vessels after Israel cut off the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Trump’s National Security Adviser, Michael Waltz, told ABC News that the strikes “targeted multiple Houthi leaders and took them out,” though he did not identify them or provide evidence. Rubio added that some Houthi facilities had also been destroyed.

Houthi leaders responded by vowing to “meet escalation with escalation.” On Sunday, the militants claimed they targeted the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group with missiles and drones.

Media reports confirmed that the Houthis fired 11 drones and at least one missile over a 12-hour period beginning at about midnight local time in Yemen. US Air Force fighter jets intercepted 10 drones, and a Navy F/A-18 fighter jet intercepted another. The missile fell into the water, far from the carrier group.

The Trump administration stated it would hold Iran accountable for the Houthi attacks. However, Tehran denied involvement, with the Iranian Foreign Ministry saying that Washington could not “dictate” its foreign policy.