Rabat – Earlier this month, US media reported that America’s military has spent nearly $1 billion in just three weeks of its war against the Houthis in Yemen, yet the operation has had only a “limited impact,” according to three sources familiar with the military’s progress.
The offensive, which began on March 15, has reportedly already consumed hundreds of millions of dollars in munitions, including long-range weapons such as JASSM cruise missiles, Joint Standoff Weapons (JSOW), and Tomahawk missiles.
The JASSM, developed by Lockheed Martin, is a precision-guided missile designed to strike well-defended high-value targets from a distance, while the JSOWs are GPS-guided glide bombs enabling the US military to hit targets from afar. Tomahawk missiles, primarily used by the US Navy, are capable of long-range strikes with precision, evading radar detection.
On April 2, CNN also reported that the Pentagon had deployed at least six B-2 bombers to the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia, which constitutes 30% of the U.S. Air Force’s stealth bomber fleet. The deployment was reported as a message to Iran amid “rising tensions in the Middle East.”
The B-2 bombers, known for their ability to evade radar, can carry both conventional and nuclear weapons, allowing them to strike heavily defended targets globally. Furthermore, additional aircraft carriers, fighter squadrons, and air defense systems are reportedly being moved into the Central Command region.
Despite spending nearly $1 billion on the operation, aimed at one of the world’s poorest nations, the Pentagon is expected to request additional funds from Congress to continue the offensive. The Pentagon has not publicly disclosed the exact impacts of the operation on the Houthis. While a US defense official claimed that several Houthi military sites had been destroyed and some leaders eliminated, it was also acknowledged that the Houthis had managed to fortify their positions and maintain their weapons stockpiles, although the full extent of these remains unclear.
“They’ve taken out some sites, but that hasn’t stopped the Houthis from continuing to shoot at ships or down U.S. drones,” one source said to CNN. “Meanwhile, we’re burning through readiness — munitions, fuel, deployment time.”
The Trump administration has not specified how long it plans to continue the offensive, but Trump has said that the bombing will persist until the Houthis stop their attacks on Red Sea shipping.
Houthi military response
Despite US Central Command describing the operation as a “24/7 operation,” the Houthis have not been deterred and continue to retaliate, including their attacks in response to Israel’s genocide on Gaza.
Since March 2025, the Houthis have shot down three MQ-9 Reaper drones, high-value unmanned aircraft, with two shot down within a few days of each other. This brings the total number of MQ-9 drone losses to at least 17 since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began in October 2023. Each drone is reportedly valued at $30 million, meaning the total losses amount to more than $500 million.
Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Houthi military, claimed responsibility for shooting down the MQ-9 drones, explaining that the attacks were made to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and their “noble and valiant resistance.” He stated that the drones had violated Yemeni airspace and were conducting hostile operations over al-Hudaydah, in western Yemen.
On April 5, Trump shared footage on Truth Social of a US airstrike in Yemen, claiming it destroyed Houthi fighters. The video, posted on X, showed a large crater where what appeared to be a Yemeni tribal gathering had been.
Trump baselessly claimed that the targeted gathering, consisting of about 70 people, was planning an attack, proclaiming, “They will never sink our ships again.”
Abdulrahman al-Ahnomi, a senior Houthi media official, dismissed Trump’s claim, asserting that the victims were innocent Yemeni villagers, not fighters. “The US president is showing off his terrorism before the world,” al-Ahnomi said on X. “Targeting a tribal gathering is not a victory but a reflection of the US.’s failure to identify any real targets.”
US airstrikes’ widespread destruction
Notably, the CNN article failed to Yemenis that were killed as a result of the strikes as well as the destruction of civilian infrastructure, including a cancer treatment facility under construction.
The people of Yemen, living under a naval and air blockade imposed by a Saudi-led coalition since 2015, continue to suffer severe restrictions on food, fuel, and medical supplies, in violation of international humanitarian law. Despite this, the Houthis and the Yemeni people have maintained their support for Gaza and their efforts to end Israel’s genocide – not only a moral duty but also a responsibility and a legal obligation under the Genocide Convention.
According to a 2025 UNHCR report, around 4.5 million people — 14% of Yemen’s population — are currently displaced, many multiple times over the years. Over 18.2 million people urgently need humanitarian assistance, and the risk of a large-scale famine is more acute than ever.
Tens of thousands of Yemenis are already living in famine-like conditions, with an additional five million facing acute food insecurity. Apart from the attack on the tribal gathering, US airstrikes since March 15 have killed at least 70 Yemenis.
