Defense secretary Pete Hegseth said on Wednesday that US forces had attacked “hundreds” of Houthi targets in Yemen since the Pentagon began an intense bombing campaign against the rebels supported by Iran last month.
“In Yemen, the Ministry of Defense performs deadly operations against Houthi terrorists,” said Hegseth in the remarks of US Army War College.
“Our forces have struck hundreds of targets and decimated Houthi leaders, considerably reducing their capacities and the threat to American ships in the Red Sea and through the BAM,” he said, referring to the Strait of Bab-El-Mandeb, a narrow body of water which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Hegseth’s remarks occurred several days after American forces launched air strikes on the Ras Isa fuel port, a key installation by Houthi on the west coast of Yemen.
Planet Labs satellite imagery obtained by Business Insider shows what seems to be significant damage to RAS ISA after the strikes on Thursday, which would have killed dozens of people and injured more than 150 others. Breaths of breath can be seen around the installation and several structures have been destroyed.
The Ras Isa fuel port on April 8. Planet Labs
The port after the United States strikes on April 18. Planet Labs
The Pentagon offered very few details on the specific Houthi targets that the United States has struck during The current campaign. The bombing Ras Isa marks a rare disclosure.
Before that, the last significant update took place on March 17, when Lieutenant-General of the Air Force Alexus Grynkewich, director of joint personnel operations, told journalists that the United States had struck command centers, training sites, drone infrastructure, weapon storage sites and other facilities.
A defense official refused to provide additional information when Bi asked for what had been affected at Port Ras Isa.
US Central Command, which oversees the operations of the Middle East, said last week that the Houthis used the port to import fuel and illegally collect income that helped maintain their military efforts.
“The objective of these strikes was to degrade the economic source of the power of the Houthis, who continue to exploit and hurt their compatriots,” said Centcom in a press release, adding that the bombardments did not aim to harm the Yemenis.
An F / A-18 Super Hornet has been launched from the flying bridge of USS Carl Vinson on April 21. Photo of the American Navy
On March 15, the United States launched its new campaign against the Houthis to bring it to stop its Maritime Red Sea attacks, which started in the fall of 2023. In recent weeks, the Ministry of Defense has moved a second aircraft carrier and sent B-2 stealth bombers in the region.
The Trump administration has promised to crush the Houthis. The campaign, now in its sixth week, shows no signs of slowdown; Centcom often praises operations “24/7” on social networks.
“This is a clear and limited mission executed with implication,” said HegSeth on Wednesday.
Despite such promises, experts and analysts believe it is unlikely that the campaign will annex the Houthis, as President Donald Trump threatened to do so. The rebels also continue to maintain the ability to launch missiles in Israel, which, like their sea attacks, would protest war in Gaza.
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