Five Al-Qaeda members have been killed in a strike blamed on the United States in southern Yemen. Though the names of those killed in the strike were not known, it was believed one of Al-Qaeda’s local leaders was among the dead (Read more at Defense Post).
US intelligence started picking up indications the Yemeni fighters were looking for an exit after seven weeks of relentless US bombings, four US officials said. US Central Command recommended a campaign lasting at least 8 months. Iran played a significant role in encouraging Houthi negotiations (Read more at Business Standard).
"As long as they announced the cessation (of U.S. strikes) and they are actually committed to that, our position was self-defence so we will stop." Mohammed Abdulsalam, the chief Houthi negotiator said. He reiterated they would also carry out strikes against the U.S. if Washington resumes its attacks on Yemen (Read more at Reuters).
Some 200 seafarers aboard more than 15 ships stuck for weeks off Yemen's port of Ras Isa are preparing to offload cargoes and leave thanks to a ceasefire deal between Houthi militia and the U.S. Still, threat levels for shipping remained high given the Houthis' confirmation that Israeli-related assets remained open to attack and the attendant risks to broader shipping, maritime officials said. Ships with no connection to Israel had been targeted in the past with no certainty of safe passage (Read more at Marine Link).
So, Trump has negotiated a settlement with the Houthis that will likely entail the U.S. Navy backing away from the disputed regions in the Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb. That leaves the Israelis, Saudis, and even the Europeans—all of whom have a stake in protecting international commerce through the Suez Canal—to fend for themselves. For now, only one thing is certain: the Americans cannot defeat the Houthis militarily, and their attempts to do so are further weakening the U.S. military in the places that truly matter. Trump is right to find a way out (Read more at National Interest).
The Houthis can survive pretty much any bombing campaign, said one U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Michael Knights, an expert on Yemen at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think-tank, said the group could recover if weaponry continues to flow from its ally Iran (Read more at Street Insider).
The F/A-18 F fighter jet was attempting a nighttime landing onto the deck of the carrier when the crew was unable to stop it in time before going off the side, according to the official. When the “failed arrestment” of the aircraft became apparent, the two pilots ejected. Both of the pilots were recovered and early indications are that they suffered minor injuries (Read more at ABC News).
The United States has inked a vague agreement with the Yemen-based Houthi Movement (Ansar Allah) to end their fighting in the Red Sea. The shocking announcement immediately raised many questions, not limited to whether the deal includes all Red Sea shipping and Israel—the latter of which the Houthis continue to strike. Yet, even with limited details and conflicting reports about the substance of the agreement, the decision to end fighting with the group marks a crucial moment for U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East (Read more at National Interest).
The US president has announced he'll stop attacks on Yemen. Donald Trump says he made the decision after the Houthis assured him they'll end their strikes on American ships in the Red Sea. They had been targeting vessels after Israel launched its war on Gaza. But will Israel also stop its air strikes? And what does this mean for Yemen? (Listen here)
“The Houthis have announced to us that they don’t want to fight any more. They just don’t want to fight, and we will honour that, and we will stop the bombings,” Trump said. Trump claimed that the Iran-aligned Yemeni group “capitulated” and has promised not to carry out attacks on shipping (Read more at Aljazeera).
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Monday blamed Washington for around 10 strikes in and around the capital Sana. The Houthi-run Saba news agency said the strikes included two targeting Arbaeen street in the capital as well as one on the airport road (Read more at Defense Post).
In the latest round of its air campaign since March 15, “USCENTCOM strikes have hit over 1,000 targets, killing Houthi fighters and leaders… and degrading their capabilities,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement on Tuesday, referring to the military command responsible for the Middle East (Read more at Defense Post).
Britain said it joined US forces in air strikes on a Houthi military target in Yemen overnight, hitting a rebel drone production facility about 25 km (15 miles) south of Sanaa. Britain and the US have also previously conducted joint operations and strikes in Yemen (Read more at France 24).
MQ-9s can be used for both reconnaissance — a key aspect of US efforts to identify and target weaponry the rebels are using to attack shipping in the region — as well as strikes (Read more at Defense Post).
An unexploded precision glide bomb fired by US forces against Houthi militants was found in Yemen’s southern Shabwah governorate, sparking fears of it falling into enemy hands (Read more at Defense Post).
Another 47 people were injured in the strike in the city of Saada, in the northwest of the country. The center housed around 100 African migrants. There was no immediate U.S. comment on the strike (Read more at ABCNews).
The Houthis profit significantly from the shipment of goods through ports they control, profiting, in particular, from the discharge of refined petroleum products. Treasury will continue to leverage our tools and authorities to target those who seek to enable the Houthis’ ability to exploit the people of Yemen and continue their campaign of violence (Read more at US Department of the Treasury).
The military was using the $60 million jet as part of its weekslong campaign against Houthi fighters in Yemen. One sailor was injured in the mishap, which included the loss of a vehicle used to tow the aircraft across the deck. The plane and truck sank. The aircraft’s loss adds to the growing price tag in the effort against the Houthis, which has included seven MQ-9 drones shot down by the Iran-backed group over the past several weeks (Read more at Politico).
Houthi officials had claimed that a U.S. strike killed a dozen people in the residential area of Sanaa’s Old City on Sunday. The U.S. Central Command, however, said its nearest strike that night was over 5 kilometers (3 miles) away, and that the explosion was likely caused by a Houthi air defense missile. This conclusion was based on local reports and videos showing Arabic inscriptions on missile fragments at the scene, according to a CENTCOM spokesperson (Read more at anewz).
In a makeshift camp located in Yemen's mountainous Taiz province, Ahmed Ghalib, in his 60s, lives with his wife and four children. He fled his home in 2018, leaving everything behind, and has since depended on humanitarian aid for basic services. He added that those who felt ashamed went to beg in far away markets to avoid being recognised by neighbours and relatives. According to the United Nations, 19.5 million Yemenis – more than half the population – including 4.5 million displaced people, are in need of humanitarian aid (Read more at Middle East Eye).
He did so after an aide had warned him not to do so. Sean Parnell, the chief Defense Department spokesman, denied that Hegseth had shared classified information. “There was no classified information in any Signal chat,” he said on X (Read more on CNBC).
Guterres “is gravely concerned about the air strikes conducted by the United States over the course of 17 and 18 April in and around Yemen’s port of Ras Issa, which reportedly resulted in scores of civilian casualties, including five humanitarian workers injured,” spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement (Read more at Defense Post).
"Chang Guang Satellite Technology Company... is directly supporting Iran-backed Huthi terrorist attacks on U.S. interests," State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told journalists (Read more at The Hindu).
In a statement released on Friday, US Central Command defended the attack, saying American forces had struck to "eliminate this source of fuel for the Iran-backed Houthi terrorists and deprive them of illegal revenue that has funded Houthi efforts to terrorise the entire region for over 10 years." (Read more at Euronews)
Halting Houthi aggression is crucial not only for ensuring the flow of commercial shipping through the Red Sea but also for reinforcing US credibility and regional trust. A failure to follow through on these efforts could raise doubts about US resolve, and could embolden other actors to challenge American interests in other parts of the world. The US campaign should focus on targeting key areas of Houthi operations, including command and control, communication networks, logistics, and leadership. American leaders should also be clear that the campaign is not time-bound and will persist as long as necessary, avoiding complacency even if the Houthis temporarily halt their attacks (Read more at Defense Post).
Trump's aid freeze means Yemen has lost its biggest donor, as the US ramps up military strikes on the country. Some 19.5 million people in the country rely on humanitarian assistance and protection services. That's half of the population. The Trump administration imposed a 90-day ban on all US foreign aid in January. The State Department said on Wednesday that it had reversed food aid cuts in Somalia, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Ecuador, but that the ban would remain in place for now on Afghanistan and Yemen (Read more at Middle East Eye).
Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Tuesday said US strikes on the western province of Hodeida killed four people and wounded 13 others, a day after the group said it targeted Israel and US warships. It added that civil defense teams had rushed to the site and were working on putting out the fires and rescuing any survivors (Read more at Defense Post).
“Whether it's underground facilities, weapons manufacturing, bunkers, troops in the open, air defence assets, we are not going to relent and it's only to get more unrelenting until the Houthis declare they will stop shooting at our ships,” Mr Hegseth told reporters in the Oval Office during a meeting between President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Read more at The National).
According to three congressional and allied officials, the Yemeni movement Ansarallah has reinforced many of its hideouts and strategic sites, making it difficult for US forces to significantly disrupt missile attacks. In just three weeks, the Pentagon has used $200 million worth of munitions, in addition to the immense operational and personnel costs to deploy two aircraft carriers, additional B-2 bombers and fighter jets, as well as Patriot and THAAD air defenses to the Middle East (Read more at Palestine Chronicle).
the US military has so far declined to confirm the death, and the identity of the Houthi commander in question is unclear (Read more at Arab Weekly).
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at the White House that the administration maintained confidence in National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who has faced criticism for apparently adding the editor of The Atlantic magazine to a private thread describing an imminent bombing campaign in Yemen. She said steps have been taken to prevent a repeat of the incident, but did not elaborate (Read more at Straits Times).
"The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform (Read more at New Arab).
Media outlets affiliated with the Houthi group (Ansar Allah) reported that the United States carried out 72 airstrikes on Sana'a, Saada, Amran, Marib, Al-Jawf, and Hodeidah within 24 hours (Read more at Jordan News).
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the Houthi government announced that U.S. airstrikes on the northern governorates of Amran and Saada had caused the "complete destruction" of communication stations (Read more at Jordan News).
"It's shocking. It's shocking negligence," a former senior defense official said. "We've got the best secure communication systems in the world — of any country — so why are we using a rickety, commercially available system?" A current senior U.S. official told Axios that while many of the participants in the Signal chat have encrypted government-issued phones on which they can discuss classified information, poor reception and other technical problems can make using a personal device easier. "You can drop from the line in the middle of a call," the official said (Read more at Axios).
Judge James Boasberg ruled that the administration of President Donald Trump must take measures to keep records of the full conversation between March 11 and March 15, when the journalist had access to the conversation (Read more at Aljazeera).
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth texted about plans to kill a Houthi militant leader in Yemen two hours before a military operation meant to be shrouded in secrecy. The revelation that highly sensitive attack plans were shared on a commercial messaging app, possibly on personal cellphones, has triggered outrage in Washington and calls from Democrats that members of Trump's national security team be fired over the leaks (Read more at Timeslive).
Hegseth: "Nobody was texting war plans." From the texts: "THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP," Hegseth texted, along with detailed sequencing of the operation.
Gabbard under oath to the Senate Intelligence Committee: "I can attest to the fact that there were not classified or intelligence equities that were included in that chat group at any time." The texts include highly detailed information about the sequencing of an attack that had yet to take place.
Ratcliffe in the Senate hearing said he was not "aware" of any "information on weapons packages, targets or timing" that was discussed in the chat. Gabbard concurred. The texts include a detailed sequencing of the timing of the attacks, to include Hegseth's to-the-minute breakdown of when F-18s and drones would take off and drop their payloads (Read more at Axios).
The U.S. is pounding Houthi drone experts and infrastructure as well as command-and-control nodes across Yemen at a pace previously unseen (Read more at Axios).
Mike Waltz 'has learned a lesson, and he’s a good man,' says the President. Trump said the Atlantic magazine's editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg was added to the Signal messaging group by a staffer in Waltz's office, describing the error during an interview with NBC News as "the only glitch in two months, and it turned out not to be a serious one." (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı)
Vance weighed in to say, "I think we are making a mistake ... I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now," Vance said. Vance's disdain for European political elites isn't just political theater. Here, he argued against strikes that he felt would mainly benefit Europe — and thus should be up to the Europeans to execute (Read more at Axios).
Peter Hawkins, UNICEF's representative in Yemen, shared his observations from Hudaydah, stating: "I was in Hudaydah over the past three days. I passed through the western plains where people are in the streets and on the roadside, begging and looking for help. They have surrendered. I personally saw a heavily damaged building where three children were injured from yesterday’s bombing." (Read more at Jordan News)
A message to the group, from “Michael Waltz,” read as follows: “Team – establishing a principles [sic] group for coordination on Houthis, particularly for over the next 72 hours. My deputy Alex Wong is pulling together a tiger team at deputies/agency Chief of Staff level following up from the meeting in the Sit Room this morning for action items and will be sending that out later this evening.” The message continued, “Pls provide the best staff POC from your team for us to coordinate with over the next couple days and over the weekend. Thx.” (Read more at Atlantic)
Trump warned Iran against supporting the group, declaring, 'America will hold you fully accountable, and we won’t be nice about it!' The unfolding strikes – which one U.S. official told Reuters might continue for weeks – represent the biggest U.S. military operation in the Middle East since Trump took office in January. It came as the United States ramps up sanctions pressure on Tehran while trying to bring it to the negotiating table over its nuclear program (Read more at The Print).
Oil prices rose slightly last week, snapping a three-week losing streak caused by concerns over a global economic slowdown driven by escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and other nations. The Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea have disrupted global commerce and set the U.S. military off on a costly campaign to intercept missiles and drones (Read more at CNBC).
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said "the Houthis' activities threaten the security of American civilians and personnel in the Middle East, the safety of our closest regional partners, and the stability of global maritime trade. The United States will not tolerate any country engaging with terrorist organisations like the Houthis in the name of practising legitimate international business," (Read more at Straits Times)
Yemen’s Houthis launched surface-to-air missiles at an American fighter jet and MQ-9 Reaper drone this week, but did not hit either. The Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on ships off Yemen since November 2023 in support of Gaza’s Palestinian militants fighting Israel, disrupting global shipping (Read more at Arabnews).
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) was involved in a collision with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M at approximately 11:46 p.m. local time, Feb. 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea. There are no reports of injuries, nor is there flooding, aboard the carrier, which carries a crew of 5,000 sailors, and the incident is under investigation. The aircraft carrier and its strike group had been operating in the Red Sea since mid-December as part of the mission to thwart Houthi militant attacks launched from Yemen at commercial vessels transiting the vital waterway (Read more at ABC News).
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, said that the move, which will impose harsher economic penalties than the Biden administration had applied to the Houthis, was “an excuse to apply anti-human sanctions against the Yemeni people” (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
The Biden administration revoked the designation on 16 February 2021. “It is the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate Ansar Allah’s capabilities and operations, deprive it of resources, and thereby end its attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners, and maritime shipping in the Red Sea,” said the White House statement (Read more at Middle East Monitor).
The vice president of Yemen's U.N.-recognised government on Tuesday welcomed Donald Trump's return as U.S. president, saying it was a decisive turning point to curb the Iran-backed Houthis, who he said threaten regional stability and maritime security. Aidarous al-Zubaidi told Reuters that Trump's strong leadership and willingness to employ military strength were in sharp contrast to the Biden administration, which he said had allowed the Houthis to consolidate power, bolster their military capabilities and extend their reach beyond Yemen (Read more at MSN).
The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is sanctioning Yemen-based Yemen Kuwait Bank for Trade and Investment Y.S.C (Yemen Kuwait Bank) for its financial support to Ansarallah, commonly known as the Houthis. The designation builds on previous Treasury sanctions that have targeted Houthi-affiliated exchange houses and international finance networks (Read more at U.S. Department of the Treasury).
Huthi spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam called the strikes "an American aggression" and "a blatant violation of the sovereignty of an independent state and a blatant support for Israel." (Read more at Tribune)
The spokesman of the armed forces of the Houthi movement, officially known as Ansar Allah said that the drone was shot down while it was carrying out missions in the Bayda governorate, an area located between the cities of Sanaa and Aden. He added that the drone was shot down using a "locally-made surface-to-air missile". With each drone costing approximately $31m, that would mean that the total cost of the downed drones is more than $400m (Read more at Middle East Eye).
U.S. airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen will continue as long as the specially designated global terrorist group continues to pose a threat to Israel and international shipping, a White House adviser said. John Kirby, the White House national security communications advisor, said that the focus is on undermining the Houthis’ ability to launch attacks in the Red Sea (Read more at JNS).
An advanced U.S. military anti-missile system was used in Israel to try to intercept a projectile for the first time since President Joe Biden placed the system in Israel in October (Read more at Reuters).
The attack targeted the September 21 Park in the Ma'ain district of Sanaa. The broadcaster, however, didn't provide details about injuries or damage from the strike. There was no immediate comment from Washington or London on the report. The attack came one day after Israeli warplanes launched airstrikes on Sanaa and the coastal province of Al-Hudaydah in western Yemen (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
An F/A-18 Super Hornet was forced to take “evasive maneuvers” after an SM-2 missile fired from the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg passed within 100 feet (30 meters) of the aircraft (Read more at Defense Post).
Houthi Supreme Political Council Member Mohammed Ali al-Houthi issued a stark warning to Washington in a video on X. "We caution Americans against targeting Yemen. If they do not stop, we will strike US interests in the region, ignoring any red lines," said al-Houthi. "Either Israel’s attacks on Gaza and Yemen will cease, or we will target sensitive American assets to deliver our message." (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı)
The developments came hours after a rocket from Yemen struck Tel Aviv, prompting US air strikes in Houthi-controlled territory, which it claims were in response to attacks on US Navy ships and commercial vessels. Two US Navy pilots ejected safely after their F/A-18 fighter jet was downed (Read more at TRTWorld).
During the operation, American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea. The US attack on Sanaa came the same day that a Houthi missile struck Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, wounding 16 people in the second such strike in days (Read more at Defense Post).
Given that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned this week the Houthis that they would pay a heavy price, a reporter asked the Pentagon if it assesses that Israel might target the Yemen-based group next, after Hezbollah and Hamas. “I won’t speak for Israel in terms of its operations. They certainly have a right to defend themselves, and as you know, the Houthis have launched missiles and drones toward Israel,” Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the U.S. Defense Department press secretary, told a reporter at the Pentagon’s Dec. 19 press briefing (Read more at JNS).
Group used facility to coordinate its operations, including recent attacks on US Navy warships and merchant vessels, says CENTCOM (Read more at Anadolu Ajansı).
The Pentagon is also considering redesignating Iranian-backed Houthis as a terrorist group. Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy for Yemen, last week visited Djibouti where the UN Verification and Inspection Mission for Yemen (UNVIM) is based on the opposite side of the Red Sea. UNVIM’s chief focus is on inspecting ships for armaments entering Houthi-controlled Red Sea ports (Read more at Guardian).
For the second time in 10 days, the U.S. military said it defeated attacks by Houthi militia. Destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane turned back a range of Houthi missiles and drones Dec. 9-10 in the Gulf of Aden (Read more at Freight Waves).
"Iran has never been weaker," Michael Doran wrote. "It’s a puffer fish. There’s no reason why the U.S. must tolerate these attacks." U.S. Central Command stated that the U.S. Navy destroyers USS Stockdale and USS O’Kane “successfully defeated a range of Houthi-launched weapons while transiting the Gulf of Aden,” on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 (Read more at JNS).
Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted two US destroyers with drones and missiles as they transited the Bab al-Mandab Strait, but the warships defeated the attacks, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Also, a claim from the Houthis that they also attacked the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is not accurate (Read more at Defense Post).
The facilities contained various weapons used to target military and civilian vessels navigating international waters throughout the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, according to information provided by the Pentagon (Read more at Arabnews).
It was through access and overflight for US aircraft in northern Australia. An Australian official said the "support is consistent with our long-standing alliance commitment and close cooperation, demonstrating the interoperability of our militaries" (Read more at ABC)
The strikes hit “hardened” underground facilities used to store weapons components of the kind used by the Houthis to target civilian and military vessels in the region, Austin said. “This was a unique demonstration of the United States’ ability to target facilities that our adversaries seek to keep out of reach, no matter how deeply buried underground, hardened or fortified,” Austin added (Read more at Aljazeera).
The targets included “Houthi offensive military capabilities.” U.S. officials earlier told The Associated Press that U.S. military aircraft and warships bombed Houthi strongholds at roughly five locations. Houthi media said the strikes hit Yemen’s capital Sanaa, the airport in Hodeida, the south of Dhamar city and the southeast of al-Bayda province — the latter of which has several Houthi military outposts (Read more at The Hill).
We carried out a qualitative military operation targeting three hostile American warships in the Red Sea that were supporting and backing the Israeli enemy," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said in a statement aired by the Houthi-run al-Masirah TV. The three American destroyers were "directly hit," Sarea said, describing the attacks as the "largest" since November last year (Read more at Xinhua).
A US MQ-9 Reaper drone crashed near Yemen, the Pentagon said Tuesday, after Houthis claimed to have downed several of the aircraft in recent days. The Houthis claimed Tuesday that they had shot down three MQ-9s over the past week — a figure Ryder described as “too high.” The Pentagon spokesman said he could not provide a specific number for security reasons, but that the Houthis’ figure “is not accurate.” (Read more at Defense Post)
"There is always communication after every operation we conduct," Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi movement's political bureau, told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV. "These calls are based on either threats or presenting some temptations, but they have given up to achieve any accomplishment in that direction." He added, "the calls after attacks included some from the U.S. and the United Kingdom indirectly through mediators and that the threats included direct U.S. military intervention against countries that intervene militarily "in support of Gaza." The Houthis have damaged more than 80 ships in missile and drone attacks since November, sinking two vessels, seizing another and killing at least three crew members (Read more USNews).
At the same time, US Central Command said on Sunday evening that over the past 24 hours, its forces had destroyed three Houthi drones and two missile systems in a Houthi-controlled Yemeni area, all of which were threatening US-led coalition ships and commercial vessels in international shipping lanes. Hodeidah, Yemen’s only major coastal city under Houthi control, has received most of the US and UK strikes since January. Meanwhile, Yemen’s government requested financial assistance from GCC countries on Monday to help shore up its faltering economy, stabilize the currency and pay public employees (Read more at NewArab).
The Houthis have not released footage for the latest attack, but have shown downing US drones with missiles before. This is the eighth drone of this type to be shot down since the start of the war on Gaza. It costs about $30m (Read more at Aljazeera).
Today, 500 hours of flight would cost $20,000,000, at $40,000 per hour. Add submarine deployments and other assets that could be used to counter other US adversaries, such as satellite reconnaissance, and even action short of war costs billions. So, if it’s international shipping, it should be everybody's job (Read more at The National).
The US treasury said the Hezbollah-controlled Talaqi Group used two tankers to ship LPG worth tens of millions of dollars from Iran to China. The US Treasury Department targeted companies, individuals and vessels accused of being involved in the shipment of Iranian commodities, including oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to Yemen and the UAE on behalf of a Houthi financial official’s network. It said the revenue from Sa’id al-Jamal’s network helps finance the Houthis’ targeting of shipping in the Red Sea and civilian infrastructure (Read more at Arab Weekly).
The UK and the US struck 13 Houthi targets including a wide range of underground facilities, missile launchers, command and control sites, a Houthi vessel and other facilities,According to Houthi officials, the airstrikes killed at least 16 people and wounded 35 (Read more at Euronews).
Yahya Saree said the drone was targeted with a locally made surface-to-air missile and that videos to support the claim would be released. The Houthis said last Friday they downed another U.S. MQ9 drone over the southeastern province of Maareb (Read more at Reuters).
US deputy ambassador Robert Wood told the UN Security Council that there is extensive evidence that Iran is providing advanced weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles, to the Houthis in violation of UN sanctions. The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another since November, the US Maritime Administration said late last month. Houthi attacks have dropped in recent weeks as the rebels have been targeted by a US-led airstrike campaign in Yemen (Read more at IrishExaminer).
Each drone estimated to be worth around $30 million (Read more at Breaking the News)
Yemen’s Armed Forces announced missile and drone attacks on two US vessels and an Israeli ship in the Gulf of Aden on 24 April (Read more at The Cradle).
The Houthis announced the production of a 100-riyal coin to replace damaged 100-riyal banknotes issued by the Sanaa-based central bank. The central bank in Aden described the move as escalatory and the currency as “illegal”. Tim Lenderking, the US envoy to Yemen, said “We need to make this push towards the Yemen peace effort, which will help the humanitarian peace situation and Yemenis rebuild their economy.” (Read more at The National).
Tim Lenderking will meet regional officials to discuss ways to deescalate the crisis and “renew the focus on securing a durable peace for the Yemeni people. “The United States remains firmly committed to supporting a durable peace in Yemen and alleviating the complex humanitarian and economic crises harming the Yemeni people,” the State Department said (Read more at Arabnews).
For more than six weeks, there have been no attacks by Iran-allied militias against U.S. forces in Iraq or Syria. What really shook them up was the targeted killing of the logistics commander in Baghdad. The strike, he says, was proof of exceptionally precise locational intelligence. There are definitely calls for targeted strikes on Houthi leaders in Washington. The U.S. Air Force can do more damage in one hour than the Saudi Air Force can do in eight years (Read more CSMonitor).
During the military drill, an air landing by US and British enemy forces on a Yemeni village was simulated. Popular groups arm themselves to resist the invasion until the arrival of the Yemeni Armed Forces (Read more at The Cradle).
Facing budget caps and new procurement delays, the Navy plans to decommission a total of 13 ships in fiscal year 2025, including ten before the end of their expected service life, for a total overall fleet of 287 ships in fiscal year 2025 (Read more at Stripes).
US forces said they destroyed an underwater drone and nearly 20 ballistic missiles in a series of strikes against Yemen's Houthi group. The US Central Command said in a statement Monday night that the strikes were carried out after the Houthis fired two missiles towards a Singaporean-owned, Liberian-flagged merchant ship called the Pinocchio (Read more at NewArab).
Rather than aim to “de-escalate”—the aim should be for “stability”— a return to peace on just terms. And for decades, maintaining the peace has required the United States’ ability and will to escalate. The United States has the might to crush the Houthis. The United States can convince Iran to end these terror attacks against civilian international shipping (Read more at Providence).
CENTCOM and coalition forces determined that the the "large-scale" drone attack "presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels, US Navy and coalition ships in the region" (Read more NewArab).
Three Houthi drones and a missile fired towards a US destroyer in the Red Sea. There were no injuries or damage to the ship (Read more at The National).
The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulphate fertiliser that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea (Read more at The National).
The Houthi Transport Ministry in Yemen said on Saturday there had been a "glitch" in undersea communication cables in the Red Sea as a result of actions by U.S. and British naval vessels (Read more at USNews).
The testimony from Shapiro and Tim Lenderking, the US envoy for the conflict in Yemen, marked the first congressional testimony by US officials since President Joe Biden ordered strikes against the Houthis last month. This was the most detailed public accounting of the airstrikes so far (Read more at YahooFinance).
The United States has been carrying out near-daily strikes against Houthis. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said, "Trying to re-establish deterrence, I don't think you're going to do it if the 200 strikes become 400 strikes, 800 strikes, 1,200 strikes." U.S. Special Envoy Tim Lenderking told lawmakers during the hearing that China should be "more engaged" in international efforts to halt the Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping (Read more at AOL).
But it’s not the Houthis who will face the worst of the effects of the designation. The Houthis being placed back on the US “terror” list will cut off the flow of humanitarian to the country (Read more at Aljazeera).
Unmanned surface and subsurface vessels are likely more difficult to detect and destroy than aerial drones and anti-ship missiles. They are adjusting their strategy, apparently because they haven't been successful in striking a U.S. naval vessel. "If one or more of these weapons get through and kill U.S. sailors, Iran should expect to be held directly responsible" ABC News national security and defense analyst Mick Mulroy, a former Pentagon official and CIA agent, said (Read more at ABCNews).
They say the U.N. Security Council never authorized military action against Yemen. Russia says the root cause of the current situation is Israel’s military offensive in Gaza following Hamas’ surprise attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7 (Read more at ABCNews).
Despite a month of U.S.-led airstrikes, Yemen's Houthi rebels remain capable of launching significant attacks. For Washington, “deterrence options” are getting narrower. Houthis and allied tribes in Yemen amount to 20,000 fighters (Read more at ABCNews).
This is the first observed Houthi employment of a UUV since attacks began in October 2023. Centcom identified the anti-ship cruise missiles, unmanned underwater vessel and the unmanned surface vessel in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to US Navy ships and merchant vessels in the region (Read more at The National).
"It's definitely a high operations tempo," the VAW-123 squadron leader said. "We're on call 24/7." They have minutes, sometimes just seconds, to react to a possible incoming threat. Rear Admiral Marc Miguez tells us that "numerous strikes" on Houthi positions from the Eisenhower and other ships in Carrier Strike Group Two are successfully degrading the Houthis' capabilities to launch their attacks (Read more at ABCNews).
It reverses one of the first foreign policy decisions carried out by President Joe Biden after he took office. The decision to restore only the SDGT designation came after the State Department, USAID and Democrats in Congress objected to reapplying the FTO designation, which critics have said would do more to hinder humanitarian access than the SDGT designation alone (Read more at Al-Monitor).
On Jan. 28, over 200 packages containing medium-range ballistic missile components, explosives, unmanned underwater/surface vehicle (UUV/USV) components, military-grade communication and network equipment, anti-tank guided missile launcher assemblies, and other military components were discovered on board, it said (Link).
