Donald Trump triumphantly celebrated a recent drone strike against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Western Yemen.

The president posted video of the hit by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to his Truth Social page and delighted in the victory.

He wrote: ‘These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis! They will never sink our ships again!’

The video, shot from the sky, shows a group of Houthis – one of several groups backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran – lining up before a gigantic explosion blows them away.

Only two trucks can be seen as the smoke from the blast clears, presumably killing everyone down below. 

There was no context given to when the drone strike took place, but America has been making attempts to decimate the terror group since the end of the Biden administration. 

DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon for comment. 

As National Security Council head Mike Waltz defended his role in the Signal chat leak, a spokesman pointed out that it showed a plan that was working. 

Donald Trump triumphantly celebrated a recent drone strike against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Western Yemen

Donald Trump triumphantly celebrated a recent drone strike against Iran-backed Houthi terrorists in Western Yemen

Trump posted video of a drone strike by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to his Truth Social page and delighted in the victory

Trump posted video of a drone strike by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to his Truth Social page and delighted in the victory

‘The thread is a demonstration of the deep and thoughtful policy coordination between senior officials. The ongoing success of the Houthi operation demonstrates that there were no threats to troops or national security,’ Brian Hughes said in a statement.

In November 2023, the Houthis began launching missile, drone and naval attacks on Western commercial vessels in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. 

The attacks meant that many commercial shipping companies could no longer transit the Suez Canal – a vital maritime passageway splitting Africa and the Middle East that used to carry roughly 30 per cent of world container traffic. 

Instead, ships heading to Western Europe from Asia have been forced to circumnavigate the entire African continent, adding up to two weeks to their time at sea.

Despite striking Houthi targets intermittently for more than a year now, the US has been unable to prevent the group from triggering a global shipping crisis as they continue to threaten Western ships.

On December 18, 2023, the Biden administration launched Operation Prosperity Guardian which saw a coalition of Western militaries – particularly the US, UK, Canada and France – work to intercept Houthi attacks.

It was billed as a united effort to safeguard vital waterways and restore global shipping norms.

But attacks continued and by January 2024 the US and UK decided to begin launching direct airstrikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, hoping the use of military force would force the rebels into submission.

The video, shot from the sky, shows a group of Houthis - one of several groups backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran - lining up before a gigantic explosion blows them away

The video, shot from the sky, shows a group of Houthis – one of several groups backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran – lining up before a gigantic explosion blows them away

Now, more than a year later, the operation has failed to secure Red Sea shipping lanes. 

The volume of traffic through the Suez Canal remains roughly 50 per cent lower than pre-November 2023 rates and Western vessels are unable to transit without facing the Houthi threat.

It has been over a year since a US-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden. 

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis have struck deals with the likes of Russian and Chinese shipping companies, as well as the operators of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers, allowing them to proceed safely.

The Houthis enduring ability to disrupt global shipping comes down to the flexibility and low cost of their operations.

The drones used by the Houthis to strike commercial ships and target US Navy vessels are estimated to cost roughly $2,000. More expensive military drones and missiles can increase that figure to the $50,000 mark.

They require no substantial military infrastructure to deploy and can be launched, controlled and piloted by a small and mobile team.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News in mid-March: ‘The minute the Houthis say we’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones. This campaign will end, but until then it will be unrelenting.’

President Donald Trump has warned Houthi terrorists to cease their attacks against Red Sea shipping or 'hell will rain down upon you'

President Donald Trump has warned Houthi terrorists to cease their attacks against Red Sea shipping or ‘hell will rain down upon you’ 

A view from the naval carrier as planes take off towards Houthi targets in Yemen

A view from the naval carrier as planes take off towards Houthi targets in Yemen

‘This is about stopping the shooting at assets… in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long,’ he said. ‘They better back off.’

But Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said shortly after that his militants would target US Navy ships in the Red Sea as long as the US continues its attacks on Yemen. 

‘If they continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation,’ he said in a televised speech.

US warplanes shot down 11 Houthi drones in mid-March, none of which came close to the Truman, military officials said, adding they also tracked a missile that splashed down off the coast of Yemen and was not deemed a threat.

The Houthis had paused their attacks on commercial ships and US naval vessels after Israel and Hamas struck a ceasefire deal earlier this year.

But the group restarted their drone and missile barrages on March 12 after Israel chose to halt the flow of aid into Gaza amid ongoing negotiations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News: ‘There’s no way the Houthis would have the ability to do this kind of thing unless they had support from Iran.’

He said of the American strikes: ‘This was a message to Iran: don’t keep supporting them, because then you will also be responsible for what they are doing in attacking Navy ships and attacking global shipping.’ 

In response, Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said the Houthis made their own decisions.

‘We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats,’ he told state media.

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