logo
Over 100 Houthi targets hit in US bombing campaign, defense official says

Over 100 Houthi targets hit in US bombing campaign, defense official says

Al Arabiya08-04-2025

The US military has struck more than 100 Houthi targets in Yemen since launching its bombing campaign last month, an American defense official told Al Arabiya English on Tuesday.
'We have destroyed command and control facilities, weapons manufacturing facilities, and advanced weapons storage locations. We have also confirmed the death of several Houthi leaders,' the official said, without providing additional details on who exactly was killed.
Among the assets used in the campaign are recently deployed B-2 stealth bombers, capable of carrying 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs. Officials say the bombers have been conducting operations against underground Houthi facilities and weapons storage sites. Several of the aircraft have been stationed in the Indian Ocean to support the strikes.
The top US military general for the Middle East, Gen. Erik Kurilla, met with senior Yemeni military officials last week during a trip to Saudi Arabia. Kurilla and his Yemeni counterparts discussed the ongoing US campaign against the Houthis, 'designed to restore freedom of navigation,' according to the United States Central Command (CENTCOM).
The Houthis have claimed several attacks against US ships and that they have downed multiple MQ-9 Reaper drones. At least three drones have been shot down in the last two months, according to officials.
When asked if any of the Houthi attacks had hit US ships or assets, the US defense official said: 'US personnel and assets are safe and accounted for.'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Monday that the campaign is far from over. 'It's about to get worse,' he said, describing intensified operations ahead.
President Donald Trump also echoed the administration's assertations that US strikes have killed several senior Houthi figures and weapons experts. However, the White House has not provided evidence to support these assertions, and Pentagon officials have declined to offer further details.
Despite growing criticism over the campaign's cost and effectiveness—US media reports suggest the operations have cost nearly $1 billion—senior defense officials maintain that the effort is achieving its objectives. Hegseth has pushed back on doubts, insisting the campaign has been both justified and successful.
The US defense official told Al Arabiya English on Tuesday that the Houthis still maintain capabilities, but it is mainly because of the nearly 10 years of support provided by Iran. 'We are already seeing progress but have nothing additional to offer at this time,' the official added.
'When the Houthis stop shooting at us, we will stop shooting at them,' the official said, citing previous comments by Hegseth.
Asked about civilian casualties, the official said the Pentagon takes allegations of civilian casualties seriously and has a process to review them.
In a further show of force, Hegseth recently ordered additional squadrons and air defense assets to the region. A second aircraft carrier was redirected from the Indo-Pacific to bolster the US presence in the Middle East, alongside deployments of Patriot missile batteries and a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. While the Pentagon has not confirmed the exact deployment sites, reports indicate the THAAD system was sent to Israel.
Message to Iran
Although the enhanced military posture has primarily targeted the Houthis, officials say it is also meant to send a clear signal to Iran.
The US defense official said capabilities or details of adversaries are not discussed due to operational security reasons. 'However, Secretary Hegseth continues to make clear that, should Iran or its proxies threaten American personnel and interests in the region, the United States will take decisive action to defend our people.'
The US and Iran are expected to hold direct talks this weekend in Oman—the first in months—to discuss Tehran's nuclear program. Washington has reiterated its position that Iran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with President Trump on Monday at the White House to discuss regional developments, including Iran. On Tuesday, Netanyahu called on the US to oversee the dismantling or destruction of Iran's nuclear infrastructure, warning that military force should remain an option if diplomacy fails.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US-China Trade Deal 'Done': Trump
US-China Trade Deal 'Done': Trump

Leaders

time3 hours ago

  • Leaders

US-China Trade Deal 'Done': Trump

The US and China have agreed on a trade deal after two days of talks in London between American and Chinese officials. On Wednesday, the US President, Donald Trump, announced that a deal with China had been finalized. 'Our deal with China is done,' he posted on his Truth Social platform. US-China Trade Deal Trump added that the deal, which is subject to approval from China's President Xi Jinping and himself, will grant the US access to the rare earth metals it needs, while the Chinese college students will be able to attend American universities. 'Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities,' he said. 'We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent!' Trump noted. Framework Agreement The announcement followed two days of negotiations between American and Chinese officials in London to resolve trade disputes and ease export restrictions, reported Reuters. Both sides agreed on Tuesday on a 'framework deal' that adds crucial details to implement the consensus reached last month in Geneva to ease reciprocal retaliatory tariffs, according to the US Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick. 'We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus and the call between the two presidents,' Lutnik said, referring to a phone call last week between Trump and Xi, which the US President said was a 'very good talk.' Lutnik told reporters that the framework would remove restrictions on Chinese exports of rare earth minerals and magnets and some of the recent US export restrictions 'in a balanced way,' without providing details. Similarly, the Chinese Vice Commerce Minister, Li Chenggang, said in a separate briefing that the US and China had reached a trade framework 'in principle' pending the approval of both presidents. Geneva Talks Last month, the US and China agreed to suspend most of their reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, following two days of talks in Geneva, Switzerland. Both sides announced in a joint statement that they agreed on a 110% tariff reduction for 90 days. Thus, the US would reduce tariffs on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China would lower duties on US goods from 125% to 10%, taking effect on May 14, 2025. Short link : Post Views: 126

US prepares to order departure of Baghdad embassy staff
US prepares to order departure of Baghdad embassy staff

Arab News

time3 hours ago

  • Arab News

US prepares to order departure of Baghdad embassy staff

WASHINGTON: The State Department is preparing to order the departure of all nonessential personnel from the US Embassy in Baghdad due to the potential for regional unrest, two US officials said Wednesday. The Baghdad embassy has already been on limited staffing, and the order will not affect a large number of personnel, but the department also is authorizing the departure of nonessential personnel and family members from Bahrain and Kuwait. That gives them an option on whether to leave the country. The Pentagon is standing by to support a potential evacuation of US personnel from US Embassy Baghdad, another US official said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to detail plans that have not been made public.

Trump says US-China deal 'is done'
Trump says US-China deal 'is done'

Saudi Gazette

time8 hours ago

  • Saudi Gazette

Trump says US-China deal 'is done'

SINGAPORE — US President Donald Trump has said a deal with China "is done" after two days of talks between top officials in said that, subject to final approval from President Xi Jinping and himself, the US will get the rare earth metals it needs, while Chinese students can take up their places at American the US and China said they had agreed in principle a framework for de-escalating trade tensions between the world's two biggest month, Washington and Beijing agreed a temporary truce over trade tariffs but each country has since accused the other of breaching the on his Truth Social platform, the president said: "Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me."Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China. Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!)."We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent!"Chinese exports of rare earth minerals, which are crucial for modern technology, were high on the agenda of the meeting in the talks, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the deal between the two countries should result in restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets being US has criticized China, saying it has been slow to release exports of rare earth metals and magnets which are essential for manufacturing everything from smartphones to electric Washington has restricted China's access to US goods such as semiconductors and other related technologies linked to artificial intelligence (AI)."We have reached a framework to implement the Geneva consensus," Lutnick told reporters."Once the presidents approve it, we will then seek to implement it," he new round of negotiations followed a phone call between Donald Trump and China's leader Xi Jinping last week which the US President described as a "very good talk"."The two sides have, in principle, reached a framework for implementing the consensus reached by the two heads of state during the phone call on June 5th and the consensus reached at the Geneva meeting," China's Vice Commerce Minister Li Chenggang said.A line chart showing US tariffs imposed on Chinese goods imports, and Chinese tariffs on US good imports, since 1 February. As of 1 February, the US had placed 10% on imports from China, which increased to 20% by 3 March, 54% by 2 April, 104% by 8 April, and 145% by 9 April. It then dropped to 30% on 14 May when a 90-day pause was agreed between the two countries. China only imposed 34% tariffs on US imports on 3 April, 84% on 9 April, and 125% on 11 April. It then dropped to 10% on 14 Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from a number of countries earlier this year, China was the hardest hit. Beijing responded with its own higher rates on US imports, and this triggered tit-for-tat increases that peaked at 145%.In May, talks held in Switzerland led to a temporary truce that Trump called a "total reset".It brought US tariffs on Chinese products down to 30%, while Beijing slashed levies on US imports to 10% and promised to lift barriers on critical mineral exports. It gave both sides a 90-day deadline to try to reach a trade the US and China have since claimed breaches on non-tariff Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said China had failed to rollback restrictions on exports of rare earth said US violations of the agreement included stopping sales of computer chip design software to Chinese companies, warning against using chips made by Chinese tech giant Huawei and canceling visas for Chinese of this week's talks, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday that it had approved some applications for rare earth export licenses, although it did not provide details of which countries were said on Friday that Xi had agreed to restart trade in rare earth materials. — BBC

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store