US says it hit 800 targets in Yemen since March 15, killed hundreds of Houthis
CENTCOM reports Operation Rough Rider has destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and storage locations
WASHINGTON — The United States has hit more than 800 targets in Yemen since mid-March, killing hundreds of Houthi rebel fighters, including members of the group’s leadership, the US military said Sunday.
Washington’s forces have hammered the Houthis with near-daily airstrikes since March 15 in an operation dubbed “Rough Rider,” seeking to end the threat they pose to vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden and reestablish US regional “deterrence.”
“Since the start of Operation Rough Rider, USCENTCOM has struck over 800 targets. These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” the military command responsible for the Middle East said in a statement that provided its most detailed accounting of the operation so far.
“The strikes have destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations,” CENTCOM said.
Despite the strikes, the Houthis — who control large swaths of Yemen and have been at war with a Saudi-led coalition backing the internationally recognized government since 2015 — have continued to claim attacks against both US vessels and Israel.
CENTCOM said that “while the Houthis have continued to attack our vessels, our operations have degraded the pace and effectiveness of their attacks. Ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69 percent. Additionally, attacks from one-way attack drones have decreased by 55%.”
“Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis. The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime,” the military command said.
“We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,” it added.
CENTCOM noted that “to preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations. We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.”
Strikes on Sanaa
As the United States announced details on the latest round of its campaign against the Houthis, the rebel-controlled Al-Masirah TV reported that US strikes on the Yemeni capital Sanaa had killed at least eight people and wounded others.
Al-Masirah TV also broadcast footage of the rubble of destroyed homes and cars, as well as bloodstains on the ground, while rescuers collected what appeared to be human remains in white cloth.
Earlier Sunday, Houthi media said overnight strikes on Sanaa had killed two people and wounded several more.
The latest strikes bring the death toll since March 15 to 228, according to an AFP tally based on Houthi announcements.
The Houthis, part of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and the US, have painted themselves as defenders of Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war, launching a regular drumbeat of missiles and drones both at Israel and at cargo vessels plying the key Red Sea trade route.
The rebels — whose slogan is “Death to America, Death to Israel, a Curse on the Jews” — began attacking Israel and maritime traffic in November 2023, a month after fellow Iran-backed terror group Hamas stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages, sparking the war in Gaza.
The Houthis held their fire when a ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hamas in January 2025. By that point, they had fired some 40 ballistic missiles and several attack drones at Israel, including one that killed a civilian and wounded several others in Tel Aviv in July 2024. Israel carried out several strikes on Houthi sites in Yemen in response to the attacks.
The Gaza ceasefire collapsed in March, with Israel resuming its attacks on Hamas and the Houthis restarting their missile attacks on Israel, including in recent days. CENTCOM’s claim on decreased ballistic missile attacks was referring to marine assaults, not the surface-to-surface missiles the Houthis fire at Israel. In 2024 the US deployed an advanced anti-missile system in Israel, and reportedly sent a second THAAD battery in April. The system has been used to intercept several missiles fired at Israel by the Houthis, including in recent weeks.
Houthi attacks have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal — a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of the world’s shipping traffic — forcing many companies into a costly detour around the tip of southern Africa.
The United States first began conducting strikes against the Houthis under the Biden administration, and President Donald Trump has vowed that military action against the rebels will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.
The Trump administration has been forced onto the political defensive during the Yemen campaign by scandals stemming from senior officials’ use of commercial messaging app Signal to discuss strikes that took place on March 15.
Last month, The Atlantic magazine revealed that its editor-in-chief was mistakenly included in a Signal chat in which officials, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, discussed the strikes.
US media outlets then reported earlier this month that Hegseth had shared information on the same strikes in a second Signal group chat with various people who would not normally be involved in such discussions, including his wife.
The Times of Israel Community.