US strikes in Yemen kill 31 as Trump vows to end Huthi attacks

 The first US strikes against Yemen's Huthis since President Trump took office killed at least 20 people. [US Central Command, AFP]

The first US strikes against Yemen's Huthis since President Donald Trump took office in January killed at least 31 people, the rebels said Sunday, as Washington warned Iran to stop backing the group.

The Huthis, who have attacked Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, said children were among those killed by the intense barrage of strikes.

An AFP photographer in the rebel-held capital Sanaa heard three explosions and saw plumes of smoke rising.

Attacks on the rebel-held capital Sanaa, as well as on areas in Saada, Al Bayda and Radaa killed 31 people and wounded 101, "most of whom were children and women", Huthi health ministry spokesperson Anis Al-Asbahi said in a statement.

Trump, in a post on social media, vowed to "use overwhelming lethal force" and ordered Iran to "immediately" cut its support.

The Huthis warned that the strikes "will not pass without response". At the same time, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned the deaths and said Washington had "no authority" to dictate its foreign policy.

The Huthi Ansarollah website slammed what it called "US-British aggression" and Washington's "criminal brutality".

The US Central Command (CENTCOM), which posted images of fighters and a bomb demolishing a building compound, said "precision strikes" were launched to "defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation".

There was no immediate comment from British authorities.