Yemen Monitor / Reuters :
The US has intensified its strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen this year in an effort to stop attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. However, human rights activists have raised concerns about civilian casualties.
Below are key facts about the U.S. campaign and a list of some of the largest strikes.
What’s Behind the U.S. Strikes?
The Houthis began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 to show support for Palestinians during the Israeli war on Gaza.
The group, which has controlled most of northern Yemen since 2014, launched missiles and drones toward Israel, although most were intercepted.
Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. and the UK responded with airstrikes on Houthi targets in an effort to keep the vital Red Sea trade route open—a passage that accounts for about 15% of global shipping.
After Donald Trump assumed the U.S. presidency in January, he significantly escalated the air campaign against the Houthis. This followed the Houthis’ announcement of the resumption of their attacks on Israeli-linked vessels transiting the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea, Bab al-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.
Washington has vowed to continue striking Houthi targets until the group ceases its assaults on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. These attacks have disrupted global shipping, forcing companies to reroute vessels on longer, more expensive journeys around southern Africa.
The current U.S. aerial campaign in Yemen follows years of strikes by a Saudi-led Arab coalition, which—backed by U.S. support—targeted the Houthis as part of efforts to bolster government forces in the country’s civil war.
How Have the Strikes Evolved?
March 15: Following Trump’s order to initiate a military campaign, airstrikes on Sana’a killed at least 31 people.
March 16: Airstrikes continued on Houthi military sites in the southwestern city of Taiz.
March 17: The death toll rose to 53, according to the Houthi-controlled health ministry, as strikes expanded to the coastal Red Sea city of Hodeidah. The Pentagon reported that the first wave of strikes targeted more than 30 sites, including training camps and top Houthi drone experts.
March 19: Strikes hit various parts of Yemen, including the northern province of Saada, a historic Houthi stronghold.
March 20: Houthi-affiliated Al-Masirah TV reported at least four U.S. airstrikes on the port area of Hodeidah.
April 17: An airstrike hit Ras Issa fuel station on the Red Sea coast, killing at least 74 people—marking the deadliest attack since the U.S. campaign began.
April 28: Al-Masirah reported that at least 68 people were killed in a U.S. airstrike on a migrant detention center at the Reserve Prison in Saada.
