U.S. has struck more than 800 Houthi targets in Yemen in the past six weeks, Pentagon says

The U.S. has struck more than 800 targets over the past six weeks as part of the Trump administration’s military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, the Pentagon said late Sunday.

Those strikes, defense officials said, have significantly curtailed Houthi attacks against commercial and military ships in and around the Red Sea. U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Mideast, said that the strikes have reduced Houthi missile launches by 69%. Attacks from Houthi one-way attack drones have decreased by 55%, CENTCOM said.

U.S. officials did not specifically mention any attacks over the weekend. But the Houthis alleged early Monday that an American airstrike in Yemen’s Saada governorate hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others.

The campaign against the Houthis, which began on March 15, is easily the most significant military action by U.S. forces abroad since President Trump took office in January. 

“The strikes have destroyed multiple command-and-control facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “These storage facilities housed advanced conventional weapons, including anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, and uncrewed surface vessels, which were employed in Houthi terrorist attacks on international shipping lanes.”

Hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders have been killed in the attacks, U.S. officials said.

The new information from CENTCOM comes as the U.S. negotiates with Iran over a potential deal to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Iran is the main military and financial backer of the Houthis. The rebel group is a key part of Tehran’s “axis of resistance” proxy network across the Middle East, a network that also includes Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist outfits.

Iran’s support for such groups does not appear to be on the table in the ongoing U.S.-Iran nuclear talks. In its statement, CENTCOM stressed that Tehran is still backing the Houthis.

“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 statement said, referring to repeated Houthi attacks on U.S. military assets in the region.

Over the past six weeks, the Defense Department has been tight-lipped about the details of its strikes against the Houthis. Over that same time period, the Houthis say they have shot down seven MQ-9 Predator drones, including three during a one-week stretch earlier this month.

CENTCOM earlier this month struck Yemen’s Ras Isa fuel port. U.S. officials said that strike will pay dividends over the long run by undercutting a key income source for the Houthis. 

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth faces considerable criticism for allegedly discussing information about the Yemen strikes in group chats on the messaging app Signal. The Pentagon denies that any classified information was contained in those chats.