US airstrikes on Yemen kill, wound Houthi defence specialists, leaders

The United States resumed airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on the evening of May 1, reportedly killing and injuring several Houthi air defence specialists and senior figures.

U.S. aircraft struck a Houthi training facility in Malhan, in the western governorate of Al Mahwit, while a separate airstrike on the Barash camp in the capital, Sanaa, resulted in casualties among the group’s military leadership, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Additional U.S. strikes targeted Houthi positions in the Amran and Al Mahwit governorates. Local media reports confirmed that air raids also hit facilities in the districts of Asr and Hamdan, along with key military sites in Jabal Atan, west of Sanaa.

Earlier that day, five separate U.S. airstrikes reportedly hit weapons depots near the northern city of Saada. In total, Houthi sites across four governorates were targeted on May 1.

The escalation follows a massive operation on April 29, when U.S. aircraft carried out 49 airstrikes on missile sites, launch pads, weapons storage facilities, and barracks in six Yemeni governorates. That day marked the 46th day of Washington’s ongoing air campaign against the Houthis.

In a related announcement, the UK Defence Ministry confirmed on April 30 that British and American forces had conducted a joint military operation in Yemen a day earlier. 

According to U.S. media reports, the six-week-long military campaign—which has not received formal congressional approval—has already cost the United States over $1 billion.

By Sabina Mammadli