On March 15, 2025, nearly two months into his second term, US President Donald Trump launched Operation Rough Rider, a campaign of air strikes ostensibly targeting Houthi positions in Yemen, which has since killed nearly 300 people.
The United States military says its forces “have hit over 1,000 targets” in Yemen since mid-March, “killing Houthi fighters and leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV officials, and degrading their capabilities”, with no mention of civilian deaths.
On April 18, a US strike on Yemen’s Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 80 people and wounded 150 others in one of the deadliest attacks on the country by US forces.
Ten days later, on April 28, US forces struck a migrant detention centre in Saada, reportedly killing at least 68 people. The centre had been housing about 115 people, mainly from African nations, who had been detained trying to cross into Saudi Arabia to find livelihoods.
On Tuesday, the United Kingdom said its air force had joined the US military in bombing Houthi drone-manufacturing buildings near the capital, Sanaa.
According to US media, the six-week-long operation, which has not been approved by Congress, has so far cost well over $1bn.
The Houthis say they launched their attacks on Red Sea shipping linked to Israel in response to Israel’s war on Gaza and in solidarity with Palestinians.
During the ceasefire in Gaza, Houthi forces had paused their attacks but resumed them on March 12, following the expiration of a deadline they had set for Israel to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.