The conflict between the US and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen — designated a terror organization by Washington — is escalating.
On Sunday, a US strike on a migrant detention camp in the Saada governorate killed scores of Ethiopian migrants. According to the Houthi run media, the death toll was close to 200.
So far, the US Central Command, or CENTCOM, which oversees military operations and forces in the Middle East, revealed for the first time the number of strikes on Houthi targets since the start of the US intervention dubbed "Operation Rough Rider" in mid-March, stated that "we are currently conducting our battle-damage assessment and inquiry into those claims."
"These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV officials," Dave Eastburn, the CENTCOM spokesperson, stated on X, formerly Twitter. Neither names nor evidence were included.
According to CENTCOM, Houthi ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69%. Additionally, attacks from Houthi one way attack drones have decreased by 55%.
And according to the US newspaper New York Times, the total cost of the current US operation against the Houthis has already surpassed $1 billion (€877 million).
This makes the US fight against the Houthis the costliest ongoing American military operation — and it is unlikely to end anytime soon.
CENTCOM's spokesperson Eastburn reiterated on Monday that "we will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region.
According to the UK-based organization Conflict Armament Research, or CAR, which documents weapons at the point of use and tracks their sources back through the chains of supply, there have been a number of recent seizures of shipments bound for the Houthis.
"The Houthis are still absolutely reliant on Iran for supply of more strategic systems like the missile systems that they use to attack commercial shipping vessels or countries further afield like Israel," Taimur Khan, CAR's head of regional operations in the Gulf, told DW.
"However, the Houthis have also made a concerted effort to solidify alternative or diversified supply chains to the commercial market in China, where they source and procure commercially available dual-use items that can be incorporated into drones and missiles domestically," he said.
"This is a significant dynamic," Khan added.