WASHINGTON 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio informed Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov about Washington’s military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, the State Department said Saturday.

“The Secretary informed Russia of U.S. military deterrence operations against the Iran-backed Houthis and emphasized that continued Houthi attacks on U.S. military and commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea will not be tolerated,” said spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

Rubio and Lavrov also discussed follow-up steps after recent meetings in Saudi Arabia and agreed to continue efforts to restore communication between Washington and Moscow, the statement added.

The US launched airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthis, killing at least 19 people, as President Donald Trump warned that “hell will rain down” if the Iran-backed group continues attacks on Red Sea shipping.

The Houthis have been attacking Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea with missiles and drones since late 2023, disrupting global trade, for what it said was a show of solidarity with the Gaza Strip.

The group halted its attacks when the Gaza ceasefire was declared in January between Israel and Hamas. But it threatened to resume the attacks when Israel blocked all aid into Gaza on March 2.