Washington/Aden, Apr 5 (UNI) Amid a series of tactical military strikes by the Trump administration against the Houthi forces in Yemen to disrupt their ammunition supply and destroy their fortified bunkers, the US has spent over $1 billion in just three weeks, with the attacks themselves having limited success.
While the attacks aimed at disrupting the ammunition supply of the Iran-backed group has had some success, it is a far from the victory the Pentagon had hoped for, according to CNN.
The military offensive, which was launched on March 15, has already used hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of munitions for strikes against the group, including JASSM long-range cruise missiles, JSOWs, which are GPS-guided glide bombs, and Tomahawk missiles, the sources told CNN.
The US has even deployed its B-2 Spirit stealth bombers from its Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean which have targeted fortified underground weapon caches controlled by the Houthis.
While the Pentagon’s aim was to downgrade the outfit’s capabilities to end the disruption caused by them in the Red Sea, even the use of the American military’s most sophisticated weapons has had little effect.
One of CNN’s sources said that the Pentagon will likely need to request supplemental funding from Congress to continue the operation, but may not receive it — with the offensive having already received criticism from both Democrats and Republicans, with even Vice President JD Vance calling the operation “a mistake” in a Signal chat published by The Atlantic last week.
The Pentagon has not publicly disclosed what impact the daily US military strikes have actually had on the Houthis. Officials from the Pentagon’s Joint Staff, US Central Command, US Indo Pacific Command, Office of the Undersecretary of Defence for Policy, and the State Department told Congress in recent days that the strikes have eliminated several members of the Houthi leadership and destroyed some Houthi military sites.
They nonetheless acknowledged that the terror group has reinforced many of their bunkers and other targeted sites, including their underground weapons and munitions caches. Talking about the American assault, a defence official said: “They’ve taken out some sites, but that hasn’t affected the Houthis’ ability to continue shooting at ships in the Red Sea or shooting down US drones.”
He added: “Meanwhile, we are burning through readiness—munitions, fuel, deployment time.”
As the conflict escalates, civilian casualties have also increased. The Houthi-run Health Ministry reported at least 61 civilian deaths and 139 injuries from US airstrikes since the campaign began.
Since President Donald Trump took office on January 20, the operational tempo of strikes has increased substantially, allowing military commanders greater autonomy to conduct missions without higher-level approvals, a shift from the Biden administration's more passive and bureaucratic approach. This change has resulted in a more aggressive strategy and some military successes, with reports indicating that the strikes could continue for up to six months.
One of the biggest American victories has been the significant disruption in the communication abilities of the Houthis, causing them to reduce their missile attacks on Israel due to the relentless bombing by American troops. Another tactical victory has been the killing of several high-level Houthi commanders, causing dents in the outfit’s chain of command.
However, despite the heavy bombardment, the Houthis have shown an ability to adapt, reinforcing their positions and continuing missile attacks against commercial vessels in the Red Sea. The US military's reliance on advanced munitions, while effective in achieving precision strikes, raises concerns about the long-term sustainability of such operations, particularly in light of the limited results thus far.
UNI ANV RN