Yemeni minister: Houthis have lost nearly one-third of military capabilities Amid escalating US strikes

Yemen’s Minister of Information Muammar al-Eryani has announced that the Iran-backed Houthi movement has lost close to 30% of its military potential following intensified U.S. airstrikes on the group’s military infrastructure, arms depots, and security-related sites.

According to a report by Asharq Al-Awsat, al-Eryani stated that the Houthis are in disarray as American forces escalate their attacks on key Houthi facilities, per Caliber.Az.

These strikes, he said, have directly targeted the group’s ballistic missile and drone infrastructure — assets that have been central to Houthi efforts to disrupt maritime traffic in the Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and the Gulf of Aden.

However, al-Eryani emphasized that despite the damage, the current level of military action is insufficient to neutralize the Houthi threat. He warned that the group continues to receive logistical and material support from Iran through a network of smuggling routes, making it vital for the international community to sustain and intensify its pressure.

“The recent strikes have delivered painful blows to the Houthis’ military capabilities,” al-Eryani said, “but the threat persists. More coordinated action is needed to cut off their supply lines and strengthen legitimate Yemeni forces.”

He called on international actors to maintain military, political, and economic pressure on the Houthis and to reinforce oversight on the sources supplying them with weapons. Al-Eryani also urged continued support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government forces, enabling them to regain control over the country's full territory.

The minister confirmed that the Houthis have suffered significant leadership losses in recent weeks, though the group avoids acknowledging these casualties to prevent a drop in morale among its fighters.

The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, have long maintained a hardline anti-Israel stance. Following the October 7, 2023, Hamas incursion into southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of over 1,200 civilians and the taking of around 250 hostages, the Houthis voiced strong support for Hamas. The group’s leader called backing the Palestinian cause a “religious and moral obligation” for all Muslims.

In November 2023, the Houthis declared they would target Israeli territory with missiles and block Israeli vessels from transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait so long as Israeli operations in Gaza continued.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, the Houthis have carried out 145 attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since 2023.

In response to this threat, the United States announced the launch of a multinational security initiative, Operation Prosperity Guardian, in late 2023. The mission’s objective is to ensure maritime security and freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waters.

On January 12, 2024, U.S. and British forces launched their first major joint strikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen, using a combination of aircraft, warships, and submarines. These strikes have since continued on a regular basis, targeting infrastructure used by the Houthis to launch attacks on international shipping.

The European Union has also established its own maritime security operation, Aspides, to protect vessels in the region.

Houthi attacks on shipping temporarily stopped in January 2025, after Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in Gaza. The Houthis had earlier stated that ending the fighting in Gaza was the only condition under which they would halt their attacks in the Red Sea. During the truce, not a single attack on commercial shipping was recorded in the crisis zone, highlighting the group’s alignment with events in Gaza and its ideological confrontation with Israel and its allies.

However, following the conclusion of the first phase of the Gaza ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a halt to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the enclave. In response, on March 7, the leader of Ansar Allah issued a four-day ultimatum, warning that naval operations would resume if aid was not restored.

When the deadline expired without action, a spokesman for the Houthi military announced the resumption of attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, signaling a renewed escalation in the region's maritime security crisis.

By Tamilla Hasanova