The U.S. military recently launched fighter jets with the intent of targeting Houthi forces in Yemen, new video shows.
Fox News obtained the dramatic video that shows the jets taking off towards the terrorist targets. It comes soon after President Donald Trump launched "decisive and powerful" airstrikes against the Iran-backed organization, which has targeted commercial merchant vessels and U.S. military ships for several months.
"It has been over a year since a U.S.-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden," Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday. "The last American Warship to go through the Red Sea, four months ago, was attacked by the Houthis over a dozen times."
"Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at U.S. aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies," the president continued. "These relentless assaults have cost the U.S. and World Economy many BILLIONS of Dollars while, at the same time, putting innocent lives at risk."
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Trump promised that the U.S. military would "use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective."
"To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!" his post concluded.
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Since the strikes began on Saturday, Houthi drone, missile and air defense systems have been targeted by American forces. A senior defense official told Fox News on Sunday that at least a dozen Houthi drones have been shot down by U.S. forces so far.
On Monday, Joint Staff Director for Operations Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich told reporters that "dozens of military casualties" had so far been counted.
The Houthis claimed 53 people had been killed as of Monday, including five children, but that has not been confirmed by the U.S. military.
"This is also not an endless offensive," Pentagon chief spokesperson Sean Parnell said on Monday. "This is not about regime change in the Middle East, this is about putting American interests first."
Fox News Digital's Morgan Phillips contributed to this report.
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