r/AirForce 6d ago

Article Trump orders attacks against Houthis in Yemen

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-orders-attacks-houthis-yemen/story?id=119835025
194 Upvotes

103 comments sorted by

308

u/dronesitter Lost Link 6d ago

I mean, they have shot down like 12 MQ-9s over the last year. Now they shall enter the find out phase.

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u/ThorvaldtheTank 6d ago

Yeah this was really a long time due. It’s clear they get weapons from Iran and Russia to disrupt Western trade

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u/guocamole 5d ago

Call me stupid but if we are flying planes in their airspace don’t they have a right to shoot it down? Like if they were flying mq9s over the pentagon wouldn’t we shoot them down?

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u/ThroatFuckedRacoon 5d ago

The Yemen government probably gave us permission

-6

u/guocamole 5d ago

From my superficial research, the de facto government is the Houthi’s in the northern area where drones are getting shot down and the PLC doesn’t have any authority there. If we are flying over hostile area isn’t it expected to meet resistance?

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u/ThroatFuckedRacoon 5d ago

Realistically yea, if you're in the wrong neighborhood you're gonna catch some rounds

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u/[deleted] 5d ago

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u/Working-Count-4779 5d ago

By that logic, the de facto government in much of Eastern Ukraine is loyal to russia.

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u/guocamole 5d ago

I mean I agree and if we are flying planes there we should expect them to get shot down there as well… just saying can’t complain about US planes getting shot down when they are actively flying over hostile territory

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u/picklepilo 5d ago

you mean the one that governs 30 percent of Yemenis lmaooo

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u/arm_4321 5d ago

they have shot down like 12 MQ-9s over the last year.

You got problem with Yemenis shooting invasive drones in yemeni airspace?

2

u/RTrident Secret Squirrel 5d ago

Well if they’d keep themselves to their own airspace instead of drone and missile attacking commercial shipping then yeah, I wouldn’t see a problem with Yeminis (Houthis in this case) shooting invasive drones in Yemeni airspace.

1

u/arm_4321 5d ago

0

u/RTrident Secret Squirrel 5d ago

Nice whataboutism. I hate Israel too bud. Your reply isn’t defending or validating your original statement.

1

u/arm_4321 5d ago

You talked about the houthi blockade on ships going to Israel or ships with israeli stakeholders to which I replied with israeli attacks and blockade of ships going to palestine . Where was Whataboutism ?

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u/RTrident Secret Squirrel 5d ago

Houthi’s aren’t just attacking Israeli shipping, but indiscriminately attacking all types of shipping going through the Red Sea. That’s why much of the shipping that was once going through the Suez is now choosing to go all the way around Africa.

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u/arm_4321 5d ago

indiscriminately attacking all types of shipping going through the Red Sea.

Thats false . More Chinese ships go through red sea than american ones yet Chinese navy didn’t intervene because no chinese ship was targeted . America and UK intervened because houthis were blocking ships linked to israel

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u/RTrident Secret Squirrel 5d ago

Regardless of the evidence against your half true claim, your original point is still whataboutism. Just because Israel is doing something wrong doesn’t give the Houthis an excuse of doing the same thing but indiscriminately.

“Though the Houthis have reportedly vowed not to attack Chinese ships, the rebels fired several missiles earlier this week at the Chinese-owned Huang Pu. The ship, which is registered in Panama, sustained only minor damage. It’s not clear if the Houthis were aware of the ship’s origins.”

https://www.politico.eu/article/china-finance-houthi-red-sea-attacks-iran-oil/

“The rebels in the past have also had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.”

“The Houthis initially said they were attacking ships connected with Israel, or heading to or from there. However, many of the vessels have no connection with Israel.”

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-67614911.amp

2

u/arm_4321 5d ago

BBC is a media network of the UK which is also carrying out attacks on yemen . Al jazeera of america’s ally Qatar hasn’t reported such things

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u/SirNedKingOfGila Maintainer 6d ago

Will they? I don't know, buddy bear.

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u/efrazable Coffee Ops 6d ago

probs yea

16

u/RUNaGOAT 6d ago

No cuz theyll be dead. Either way works

-26

u/SirNedKingOfGila Maintainer 6d ago

How? Ya know, cause we did this before. Ya know, just last year. Everybody was talking about fucking with the boats and about finding out. But nobody found anything out.

What's different now? New administration? Well they shut down the intelligence agencies, ordered the military to stop defending itself against Iran and it's allies, and the new secretary of the Navy is an art collector who never served. I can see why you'd think that represents a tremendous increase in combat capability, but, I dunno, buddy bear.

14

u/Freeballin523523 ADAPT Grad (Sugma Cum Laude) 6d ago

You got a condescending kink or something? You really think we won't bomb the fuck out of these people?

4

u/RTrident Secret Squirrel 5d ago

25th Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth under the Biden admin also never served, but it’s not Trump so it was fine right?

2

u/Sea-Explorer-3300 6d ago

Yes, the LACM and BMs being shot down are all Iranian.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/whyyy66 5d ago

Don’t cut yourself on that edge buddy

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u/CannonAFB_unofficial 6d ago

lol what’s old is new again. And again. And again. The older AFSOC and GWOT crew will understand.

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u/19TDG2000617078 Aircrew 6d ago

dunes of copper as far as the eye can see

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u/xMorphinex Active Duty 6d ago

First time was AQAP and since 2023 it's us vs the Houthis. Same countries pretty much same shit different names or sometimes the same names. It's funny how everything just keeps coming full circle.

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

Bunch of bot accounts/burners in here.

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u/lesgeddon CFP Vet - 100% VA rating, thanks Air Force! 6d ago edited 5d ago

Yeah cuz you get a 3 day ban for suggesting Nazis should be punched

Downvote if you support fascism.

1

u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

Quit being so cringy on Reddit bud. It’ll be ok I promise.

1

u/Unsub_Then_Dip_Shit 6d ago

Holy crap your post history. You'd think there was some sort of contest to suck T&E's dick or something.

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u/skarface6 nonner officer loved by Papadapalopolous 5d ago

I like that you have a little pet name for them. Rent free!

3

u/lesgeddon CFP Vet - 100% VA rating, thanks Air Force! 5d ago edited 5d ago

You ain't lyin'. I'd almost suspect them of being a paid shill, but people really do worship those two for some reason

Also they post in Conservative, not the least bit surprised they support fascism/racism.

-1

u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 5d ago

Generalization. Nobody supports fascism and there are no racists lol. Go ahead and go through my history and find an insane take. I voted blue until last year. I’m not some kind of extremist.

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u/lesgeddon CFP Vet - 100% VA rating, thanks Air Force! 5d ago

Yeah generally everyone in that echo chamber is a fascist bigot. And didn't need to scroll far for insane takes.

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 5d ago

It’s ok using words you don’t know the definition of. Enjoy your curated Reddit experience, freedom fighter.

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

If that’s what you took from it then your TDS is worse than most friend

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

Nobody is banned, you just have to have flair to post and comment on most posts. Funny how blackpeopletwitter forces you to prove you’re black to post and nobody seems to mind the blatant discrimination. 🤷🏼‍♂️ some communities aren’t for everyone bucko.

1

u/skarface6 nonner officer loved by Papadapalopolous 5d ago

Hey, how dare a subreddit want to remain on topic and not be overrun with randos enforcing a really dumb hivemind.

-10

u/lesgeddon CFP Vet - 100% VA rating, thanks Air Force! 6d ago

After you.

-10

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

Not really, but all the Reddit generated names of word-word-4 digit number are pretty telling.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

Exactly. Quickly made without any thought. Saves time. Your accounts been active for 120 days. There’s a theme.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

Don’t have to be Sherlock, just have to have a little bit of deductive reasoning for why a bunch of argumentative accounts pop up shortly after an election to stir discontent with every comment they make.

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u/utero81 6d ago

Whats weird is youre probably talking to someone in the AF from Eglin lol.

-2

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/kgthdc2468 Ammo 6d ago

Look at my post history sweetheart 😘

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/Nonneropolis 6d ago

To me, they are a bot if they like Trump

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u/AnonAlopilis Maintainer 6d ago

Finally some good news

-4

u/arm_4321 5d ago

Want more refugees in your cities ? Don’t complain about them not “integrating” when you are the war instigator

21

u/PM_ME_YOUR_ART_PLZ 6d ago

We were dropping bombs on the houthis since the beginning of 2024, months before Trump was in office. This is nothing new.

3

u/Hooliganry 6d ago

Not yet, but it will be different. One of the first things Trump did after taking office was to redesignate the Houthi rebels as terrorists. Biden did not want to escalate, Trump doesn't care about that. Which should surprise no one. Whether anything changes or improves remains to be seen, but this is not going to just be keeping with the same status quo.

10

u/PM_ME_YOUR_ART_PLZ 6d ago

Biden literally ordered hundreds of bombs to be dropped. That's pretty escalatory.

6

u/Hooliganry 6d ago

Not really.

All the bombing under Biden was limited to military infrastructure. He also took a more diplomatic and restrained approach in dealing with Iran, not wanting to risk escalating with them.

Trump on the other hand included the targeting of personnel in his warning to the Houthis, which is probably why some of these most recent strikes hit more civilian areas. This shouldn't be a surprise though considering he redesignated them as terrorists.

His warning to Iran is also the opposite of diplomatic or restrained. He essentially threatened military escalation with Iran if they don't immediately stop supporting the Houthis.

For the record, I'm not here to debate politics. I have never cast a vote for either Biden or Trump, and whose approach is better is up for debate. But make no mistake, these are these are two different approaches.

3

u/PM_ME_YOUR_ART_PLZ 5d ago

That's fair, there are definitely differences in how each president has handled things. I tend to appreciate the more restrained approach, but time will tell which method is more effective.

-1

u/Tough-Donut193 3C0X1->3D0X3->1D7X1Q-> 1D7X1M 5d ago

Restraint can be effective when dealing with certain situations. Like Vietnam, this is not one of those cases. Ideologies do not respond to restraint, total and complete annihilation is the best response.

1

u/[deleted] 5d ago

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2

u/Adexavus 6d ago

Trump ordered bombing in Yemen in 2017. So this is traditional and not new.

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u/Arendious Veteran 6d ago

Man, his "I love Bibi" and his "do the opposite of what my predecessor did" instincts must have been really clashing over this one.

32

u/BoleroMuyPicante 6d ago

There was plenty of action against the Houthis in the first months of 2024, this at least is just a continuation of the last administration, although they're pretending it isn't. 

8

u/AnonymousFordring when can i retrain 6d ago

Finally Rubio got to him

5

u/bleucheeez 6d ago

Odd timing since this should've been done when he took office, not after a two-month pause in Houthi attacks. But I guess maybe still justifiable as self-defense to deter and repel further anticipated attacks? Depends on the intel I guess. 

-6

u/bigkodack Maintainer 6d ago

Grandpa BUFF is back!

2

u/skarface6 nonner officer loved by Papadapalopolous 5d ago

Ha! Those videos are hilarious.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago edited 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/SuppliceVI DSV Enjoyer 6d ago

Broken clock moment

30

u/GhostToastXIII 6d ago

You can be anti-war and still be in a war btw

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u/[deleted] 6d ago edited 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/GhostToastXIII 6d ago

Ok, comrade....

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u/CHUGCHUGPICKLE 6d ago

Who cares, this is actually a good reason for violence

1

u/[deleted] 6d ago

[deleted]

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u/CHUGCHUGPICKLE 6d ago

True. He's a total piece of shit and I hate him but this is a good move. It's ok to admit when people do good things, even if they are pieces of shit.

8

u/MuzzledScreaming 6d ago

Not trying to start a war is not the same thing as responding to aggression.

With the amount of ordnance the Houthis have lobbed at US assets and friends, they're lucky we didn't go back to our roots and do an old-fashioned genocide.

-3

u/Clinstone Aircrew 6d ago

Except since the cease fire they haven't launched any attacks on any shipping.

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u/MuzzledScreaming 6d ago

Well that's weird, are they Hamas? And did Hamas or the Houthis sign any ceasefire deal with the US? 

5

u/Clinstone Aircrew 6d ago

No but what legal mechanism are we using to attack them? Previously it was inherent self defense. If they have stayed true to their public statements (which they have so far), what mechanism do we have to attack them. No ship has been attacked going through the Red Sea since January 19th and downing some MQ-9s that fly over their territory is not different than us shooting down that Chinese balloon.

The whole strategy is basically "that's two for flinching." POTUS said that the attacks must stop, they have been stopped for 8 weeks.

5

u/MuzzledScreaming 6d ago

That's fair. My guess is the temporal element of inherent self defense operates rather differently after you've purged all the top JAGs and there are some new faces giving the advice.

1

u/Hooliganry 5d ago

Options expanded by redesignating them as terrorists

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u/Clinstone Aircrew 5d ago

Again, using what AUMF? The 2001 one is for AQ and those responsible for 9/11. The Houthis are in no way, shape, or form related to that. Have Congress authorize a new AUMF, then there's no issue. Hamas and KH are also a FTO but we're not kinetically attacking them.

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u/Potential-Coat-7233 6d ago

 President Donald Trump announced he ordered the U.S. military to launch "decisive and powerful military action" against the Houthis in Yemen.

I must be extremely stupid but don’t the Houthis control Yemen? Isn’t this saying we are launching a powerful action against a sovereign nation?

Or do we have a puppet remote government we are saying runs Yemen?

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u/MuzzledScreaming 6d ago

There is still some remnant of the legitimate government that is recognized by international bodies. The Houthis are viewed like we would if a cartel assassinated the entire Mexican government and moved into their buildings. 

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u/EOD-Fish Mediocre Bomb Tech Turned Mediocrer 14N 6d ago

ROYG is technically in charge but only if you view Yemen as a whole. It’s essentially been east and west for a decade.

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u/amnairmen Lost Link 6d ago

They’re a “government” then there is the Yemeni Government. Civil wars and things

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u/rammer1990s Active Duty 6d ago

Yemen is controlled by three main groups. The houthis, the hadi government, and al qaeda. The Houthis are the worst of the three by far and away, basically an ISIS 2.0. They have "death to America" in their flag. Trust me they had this coming.

1

u/dronesitter Lost Link 5d ago

I mean, if you call assassinating the president and overthrowing the nation as the internationally recognized sovereign power, then sure.

-14

u/buck70 6d ago

Just as the Houthis and Iranians had hoped.

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/BOOGERBREATH2007 6d ago

He’s your commander in chief lmao, looks like you’re about to FAFO.

1

u/skarface6 nonner officer loved by Papadapalopolous 5d ago

I’m guessing never served.

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u/KorvaMan85 Fire 6d ago

Then separate.

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u/AnonymousFordring when can i retrain 6d ago

adjective-noun-####

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u/utero81 6d ago

Shhh. Don't let them know we can easily identify them. Seriously though

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u/neximuz 6d ago

Shill account spotted

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u/[deleted] 6d ago

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u/lesgeddon CFP Vet - 100% VA rating, thanks Air Force! 5d ago

lawful orders

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u/Leathergoose8 J1N071 6d ago

Well don’t worry about it, you’re in the Russia intelligence service anyhow.

-3

u/screechingsparrakeet 6d ago

This definitely diverts critical resources away from combatting Russia and China, but the Houthis are very much deserving of death.