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32 Houthis Killed in Western Airstrikes in One Month

Houthis in Sanaa buried 17 members on Saturday, claiming they were killed in US-British airstrikes (Reuters)
Houthis in Sanaa buried 17 members on Saturday, claiming they were killed in US-British airstrikes (Reuters)
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32 Houthis Killed in Western Airstrikes in One Month

Houthis in Sanaa buried 17 members on Saturday, claiming they were killed in US-British airstrikes (Reuters)
Houthis in Sanaa buried 17 members on Saturday, claiming they were killed in US-British airstrikes (Reuters)

US and British strikes on Houthis in Yemen are intensifying, with the group admitting the loss of 32 members.

Rashad Al-Alimi, head of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), stressed that Houthi actions, not words, are what count in UN-led peace efforts.

Al-Alimi made these remarks while meeting the UN envoy Hans Grundberg in Aden on Saturday.

Grundberg is on a peace tour. It began in Tehran, moved to Riyadh, then Abu Dhabi, and concluded in Yemen’s interim capital (Aden), ahead of his upcoming report to the UN Security Council.

The UN envoy’s tour comes at a time of concern that rising tensions in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, sparked by the Houthis and met with US and British military responses, could disrupt peace efforts and hinder progress toward resolving the Yemeni crisis.

On Saturday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported defensive strikes conducted on Feb. 9 against two explosive-laden boats and several missiles targeting ships in the Red Sea.

These strikes were aimed at areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen and were intended to protect US naval vessels and commercial ships while enhancing security in international waters.

Houthi media confirmed strikes primarily in Hodeidah province on Friday, followed by others in Saada province.

The group also held a funeral in Sanaa for 17 of its elements, including seven colonels, whom they said were killed in US and British airstrikes.

This adds to the casualties the group acknowledged earlier and those who died during a failed hijacking attempt in the Red Sea in December.

Since Jan. 12, the US, sometimes joined by the UK, has launched about 17 strikes, including dozens of raids on Houthi-held areas in Yemen, and has also intercepted many missile and drone attacks.

Despite Houthi losses, Yemeni observers doubt that the current Western strikes will significantly weaken the group’s capabilities or reduce its threat to ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden due to its guerrilla tactics.

Houthis, accused of receiving support from Iran, have carried out around 42 attacks since Nov. 19 against ships and US naval forces in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Initially targeting vessels heading to and from Israel, they have expanded their targets to include US and British ships.

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Arab World

Syria Extends the Deadline for a Probe into Coastal Unrest

A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)
A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)
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Syria Extends the Deadline for a Probe into Coastal Unrest

A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)
A man takes a picture with his mobile phone as people gather to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the chemical attack for the first time after the fall of the Assad government in the town of Douma, in the eastern Ghouta region, near the Syrian capital Damascus, Syria, Monday, April 7, 2025. (AP)

Syria’s presidency announced on Friday that it would extend a probe into the killings of Alawite civilians in coastal areas that left scores dead after clashes between government forces and armed groups loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad spiraled into sectarian revenge attacks.

The violence erupted on March 6 after Assad loyalists ambushed patrols of the new government, prompting armed groups to launch coordinated assaults on Latakia, Baniyas, and other coastal areas.

The violence brought fear of a renewed civil war and threatened to open an endless cycle of vengeance, driving thousands of Alawites to flee their homes, with an estimated 30,000 seeking refuge in northern Lebanon.

On March 9, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa formed a fact-finding committee and gave it 30 days to report its findings and identify perpetrators. In a decree published late Thursday, Sharaa said the committee had requested more time and was granted a three-month non-renewable extension.

The committee’s spokesperson, Yasser Farhan, said in a statement on Friday that the committee has recorded 41 sites where killings took place, each forming the basis for a separate case and requiring more time to gather evidence. He said some areas remained inaccessible due to time constraints, but that residents had cooperated, despite threats from pro-Assad remnants.

In a report published on April 3, Amnesty International said its probe into the killings concluded that at least 32 of more than 100 people killed in the town of Baniyas were deliberately targeted on sectarian grounds — a potential war crime.

The rights organization welcomed the committee’s formation but stressed it must be independent, properly resourced, and granted full access to burial sites and witnesses to conduct a credible investigation. It also said the committee should be granted “adequate time to complete the investigation.”