WASHINGTON — US forces have struck more than 1,000 targets in Yemen since Washington launched the latest round of its air campaign against the Huthi rebels in mid-March, the Pentagon said Tuesday.
The Huthis began targeting shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in late 2023 and the United States responded with strikes against them starting early the following year.
Since March 15, “USCENTCOM strikes have hit over 1,000 targets, killing Huthi fighters and leaders… and degrading their capabilities,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, referring to the military command responsible for the Middle East.
Britain said on Wednesday it had joined the United States in carrying out strikes against Huthi targets.
“UK forces participated in a joint operation with US forces against a Houthi military target in Yemen,” the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
It said the Royal Air Force had struck buildings around 25 kilometres south of the capital Sanaa at night, which were being used by Huthi rebels to manufacture drones.
Britain has taken part in joint air strikes against Huthis led by the United States since early 2024.
CENTCOM on Sunday had put the figure at more than 800 targets hit since mid-March, saying hundreds of Huthi fighters had been killed as a result.
Hours after that announcement, Huthi-controlled media said US strikes had hit a migrant detention center in the city of Saada, killing at least 68 people, while a United Nations spokesperson later said preliminary information indicated that those killed were migrants.
A US defence official said the military was looking into reports of civilian casualties resulting from its strikes in Yemen.
Attacks by the Iran-backed Huthis have prevented ships from passing through the Suez Canal, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of the world’s shipping traffic.
The rebels say they are targeting shipping in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, which has been devastated by Israel’s military after a shock Hamas attack in October 2023.
