The US military campaign ordered by President Donald Trump against Yemen’s Houthi group entered its tenth day, following a series of concentrated strikes on the capital, Sanaa, and their northern stronghold of Saada.
The Iran-backed group has remained silent on its losses, including the fate of targeted leaders and military capabilities, in an apparent bid to maintain the morale of its supporters.
The escalation came after the collapse of the second phase of a truce between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.
In response, US President Donald Trump ordered a decisive military offensive against the Houthis, vowing to deploy “lethal force” to eliminate the group.
However, Yemeni observers remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the strikes if they continue at the same pace as those carried out during Joe Biden’s administration.
Intense overnight airstrikes on Sunday targeted Houthi hideouts and a military storage facility west of Sanaa, amid speculation that senior figures may have been hit.
The group claimed the strikes hit a residential building in the Asr neighborhood of the capital’s Maeen district, killing one person and wounding 15 others, including women and children.
In Saada, the group’s media outlets reported four airstrikes on the outskirts of the city, followed by two more in the Sahar and Saqin districts.
The latest raids extended a series of strikes on the rugged northern province in recent days.
Analysts suggest the attacks likely targeted fortified sites housing advanced military capabilities—such as missiles and drones—along with experts overseeing their deployment.
Since the launch of the latest US military campaign, Washington has provided few details on specific Houthi targets but insists the strikes are ongoing around the clock, aimed at safeguarding maritime navigation in the Red Sea.
During Biden’s administration, US and British forces carried out approximately 1,000 airstrikes on Houthi positions between January 12, 2024, and the start of the Gaza truce.
Despite the sustained bombardment, the group continued its attacks, which Washington says are backed by Iran.
Over 100 strikes
The Houthis have faced more than 100 air and naval strikes since March 15, targeting fortified positions in Sanaa, Saada, Marib, Al-Jawf, Al-Bayda, Dhamar, and Hajjah, as well as various locations in the Red Sea coastal province of Hodeidah.
In response, the Houthis fired five ballistic missiles toward Israel since last Tuesday, all of which the Israeli military said were intercepted without causing damage.
The group also claimed to have launched six missile and drone attacks on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its accompanying vessels since the strikes began. The US military has not commented on these claims.
Since joining the conflict against Israel after October 7, 2023, the Houthis have launched around 200 missiles and drones.
The attacks have had little military impact, except for a drone explosion in an apartment on June 19 that killed one person.
Yemeni officials fear potential Israeli retaliatory strikes on Houthi-controlled areas, similar to five waves of attacks last year that targeted infrastructure in Sanaa and Hodeidah, including the airport, seaport, and power stations.
Between November 2023 and the Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Houthis claimed responsibility for attacking 211 vessels.
After the ceasefire took effect on January 19, the group announced a halt to its maritime and missile attacks on Israel. However, it resumed operations following the breakdown of the truce’s second phase.
