US carries out air raids on Yemen following Houthi threat
Yemen has been targeted by US air raids after the country’s Houthis threatened to resume raids on Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in retaliation against Israel’s blockade of Gaza, Al Jazeera reported on March 15th.
In a post on his social media website, Truth Social, US president Donald Trump said: “I have ordered the US military today to launch a decisive and powerful military operation against the Houthi terrorists in Yemen.” Trump added that Washington “will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”
UN data has revealed that of the Yemenis living in Houthi-controlled areas, only 3% rely on their monthly salaries as a result of halted civil servant payments, while 54% depend on casual labour and 18% on food aid, Asharq Al-Awsat reported on February 24th.
Yemenis living in Houthi-controlled areas have less purchasing power than those living in areas under legitimate government control, and the cost of the average Minimum Food Basket (MFB) in US dollars is slightly higher there, despite price controls in areas under Houthi control, according to The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) Yemen Market and Trade Bulletin of January 2025.
FAO added that “35% in government-controlled areas rely on government salaries (though payments are irregular and inconsistent), while in Houthi areas, 54% depend on casual labor and 18% on food aid, with only 3% relying on salaries due to suspended civil servant payments.”
Following the Houthis ban on wheat flour imports as ports under the militia’s control are under threat from Israeli strikes, the FAO warned of rising flour prices just before the holy month of Ramadan. The agency also added that Minimum Food Basket (MFB) costs could dramatically increase in the coming months as a result of the import ban and the increased demand during Ramadan.
FAO reported that a Ministry of Industry and Trade study estimates Yemen’s annual wheat and flour import bill at $700 million.
Asharq Al-Awsat, Al Jazeera
