Houthis say one killed, 13 injured as US airstrikes pound Yemen overnight
Saudi news site claims senior rebel killed in strike on residential neighborhood in capital; Trump official claims bombing campaign taking out Iran-backed group’s ‘key leadership’
US airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels pounded sites across the country into Monday, with the group saying the one attack in the capital killed at least one person and wounded more than a dozen others, as the American air campaign against the rebel group entered a second week.
The rebel-controlled SABA news agency reported, citing health officials, that the US-attributed strike on a residential neighborhood in western Sanaa killed one and injured 13, including three children.
According to the Saudi Al Hadath network, a senior Houthi official was killed in the strike on the capital. However, the report did not identify the official by name or by position.
Footage released by the rebels showed the rubble of a collapsed building and pools of blood staining the gray dust covering the ground.
A building next to the collapsed structure still stood, suggesting American forces likely used a lower-yield warhead in the strike.
The Houthis also described American airstrikes targeting sites around the city of Saada, a Houthi stronghold, the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, and Marib province, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government.
Scenes from the aftermath of U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Houthi-controlled Yemen, earlier tonight, show widespread damage#usawithyemen pic.twitter.com/BgCBpPtxIO
— BuzzBrief (@WNongbri85599) March 24, 2025
The American strikes entered a 10th day without a sign of stopping, part of a campaign by US President Donald Trump, targeting the rebel group that threatens maritime trade and Israel, while also trying to pressure Iran, the Houthis’ main benefactor.
So far, the US has not offered any specifics on the sites it is striking, though Trump’s national security adviser Mike Waltz claimed the attacks have “taken out key Houthi leadership, including their head missileer.”
That has not been acknowledged by the Houthis, though the rebels have downplayed their losses in the past and exaggerated their attacks in attempting to target American warships.
“We’ve hit their headquarters,” Waltz told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. “We’ve hit communications nodes, weapons factories, and even some of their over-the-water drone production facilities.”
The campaign of airstrikes targeting the rebels, which killed at least 53 people immediately after they began March 15, started after the Houthis threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip.
While the Houthis have said they were attacking Israeli-linked shipping in support of Gaza, they have also targeted vessels with no known Israeli connections.
The Houthis began attacking the vital Red Sea maritime route in November 2023, a month after fellow Iran-backed group Hamas stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
The group has targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.
The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home during Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.
The Houthis — whose slogan is “Death to America, death to Israel, a curse upon the Jews” — paused their attacks after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire and hostage deal in January. Since the fighting in Gaza resumed last week, the Houthis have resumed missile fire on Israel and attacks on Red Sea shipping.
The Times of Israel Community.