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U.S. and Houthi Forces Exchange Fire Over Yemen

Houthi

Published Mar 31, 2025 8:11 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

On Monday, U.S. Central Command continued to exchange fire with Yemen's Houthi rebels for the 17th day. U.S. Navy forces launched additional Tomahawk missile strikes and airstrikes on positions in Yemen, while Houthi fighters claimed to have shot down another U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone over the region of Marib. The claim could not be immediately verified, and footage was not provided. 

"The Iran-backed Houthi terrorists have been decimated by the relentless strikes over the past two weeks. Many of their fighters and leaders are no longer with us," said U.S. President Donald Trump in a statement Monday. "The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. 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."

Strikes overnight Sunday hit the Houthi capital of Sanaa, killing one person, Houthi media reported. An additional strike targeted a moving vehicle in Hajjah, killing two. The Trump administration has changed tactics and is now bombarding Houthi military leaders individually, a practice not pursued under the Biden administration. 

U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz has claimed that the campaign killed the Houthis' "top missile guy" on the first night of bombardment, but military sources have not confirmed this, according to Reuters. The Pentagon and the White House have not released the names of any high-value Houthi targets who may or may not have been killed in the strikes. 

Experts on the decade-long Yemen conflict have warned that the Houthis will be difficult to influence or remove.

"They are very pain tolerant, so they're the worst people to try and publicly coerce," said Michael Knights, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, speaking to Reuters. "We're probably pursuing something unattainable in trying to actually make the Houthis be submissive."