Battle in the Red Sea; Failure of U.S. campaign against Yemen's army

In mid-March 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered continuous and intense airstrikes on Yemen.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth pledged an "unrelenting" campaign until Yemen's army halts its operations in the Red Sea. Hegseth claimed, "This campaign is about freedom of navigation and restoring deterrence. As soon as the Yemenis say they will stop firing at ships, we will stop targeting their drones."

However, U.S. efforts have failed to force Yemen's army to surrender or unconditionally cease its operations against commercial vessels, U.S. ships, or those of its allies in the Red Sea or the occupied territories.

Since Tel Aviv, in coordination with resuming the war in Gaza, began blocking humanitarian aid to the besieged region, Yemen's army has fired several missiles toward the occupied territories. Additionally, Yemen's army has attacked U.S. naval ships in the region, and its air defenses have shot down several U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drones.

Cost of the U.S. campaign for Yemeni civilians

As expected, the U.S.'s broad objectives have come at a significant cost to Yemeni civilian lives. The United Nations assessed that casualty (killed or injured) tripled from February to March, reaching a total of 162.

The UK-based Airwars organization estimated that the UN figures include between 27 and 55 Yemeni civilians killed in March, with April's estimated casualties likely far higher.

Failure of U.S. attacks against Yemen's army

From attacks on power plants, generators, gas stations, and civilian apartment complexes, it appears the U.S. is increasingly desperate in its airstrikes due to a lack of intelligence and military targets.

According to the Palestine Chronicle, Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, is effectively managing a battle against the wealthiest nation and its most powerful military amid an unresolved civil war.

Contrary to Trump's claims that Yemen's army has been weakened, after over six weeks of U.S. military attacks—costing an estimated $3 billion—Yemen's army remains resilient. In the latest U.S. setback, an F-18 Super Hornet jet was forced to crash into the sea to avoid a missile attack on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier.

The jet, valued at approximately $60 million, adds to the list of U.S. losses in this campaign, including at least seven MQ-9 Reaper drones, each worth $33 million.

While U.S. anti-missile and anti-drone munitions, used to counter Yemeni missiles, likely cost hundreds of millions of dollars, Yemen's army munitions are estimated to be produced for just a few thousand dollars. The U.S.'s desperation is evident in attacks on civilian infrastructure, such as the bombing of Ras Issa port, which killed 80 civilians with no military target in sight, and recent airstrikes on a detention center in Saada.

Such attacks, similar to a previous U.S. strike on a tribal gathering—footage of which Trump proudly shared on social media—are clear signs that the U.S. is out of options and is massacring civilians to cover up its failures. Meanwhile, U.S. airstrikes, which have killed approximately 240 civilians so far, have clearly failed to achieve their objectives.

Yemen's army not only continues to fire missiles and drones toward the occupied territories in support of Gaza while maintaining the Red Sea blockade but has also intensified its defensive operations against U.S. forces, demonstrating a high level of strategic thinking.