The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) has announced that its forces have conducted airstrikes on 15 targets in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The strikes were aimed at dismantling the Houthis’ “offensive military capabilities,” according to a statement posted on the social media platform X.
This series of strikes comes as Washington engages in discussions with Israel on how to respond to Iran’s recent missile attacks.
These tensions have escalated amid Israel’s ongoing ground operations in Lebanon, further complicating the volatile situation in the region.
Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since 2014 when the Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, and ousted the internationally recognized government.
The conflict escalated into a full-scale war in 2015, when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government.
Since then, the conflict has seen widespread destruction, famine, and human suffering, with over 377,000 people estimated to have died due to both direct fighting and indirect causes such as famine and disease.
The United States has played a complex role in Yemen, both supporting Saudi-led coalition operations and conducting its own counterterrorism strikes against extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
However, the US has also become increasingly focused on the Houthi threat, particularly due to the group’s growing missile and drone capabilities, which pose a significant risk to regional stability and US allies like Saudi Arabia and Israel.
The US strikes in Yemen are not occurring in isolation. They come amid broader concerns about Iranian influence in the Middle East, particularly as Tehran’s support for proxy groups, including the Houthis, has intensified.
Earlier this week, Iran launched a series of missile attacks on Israeli positions, prompting the US to consider how best to support its ally while mitigating further escalation.
In the wider context, the US and Israel are also coordinating on Israel’s operations in Lebanon, where Hezbollah, another Iran-backed militia, has been engaging Israeli forces.
The involvement of multiple actors—Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iranian forces—suggests a widening of the regional conflict, driven by Tehran’s aggressive posture in supporting these groups.
