Barran Press
The White House released a letter from U.S. President Donald Trump to House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate President Pro Tempore Chuck Grassley on Tuesday, detailing ongoing military operations against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
In the letter,President Trump condemned the Houthis as a "gang of pirates" and vowed to end their threats to U.S. forces and commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
"I have directed the Department of Defense to deploy additional combat-ready forces to the Middle East to bolster the defensive capabilities of U.S. forces and to facilitate necessary military operations," Trump wrote.
The reinforcements include air and missile defense systems, fighter jets, intelligence support, and reconnaissance assets to enable precise strikes against Houthi targets. Trump confirmed these forces are deployed across multiple Middle Eastern countries.
Under his orders, U.S. Central Command has launched "widespread strikes" targeting Houthi command centers, leadership, ammunition depots, and control infrastructure in Yemen. He stated the campaign will continue "until the Houthi threat to U.S. forces and to freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and surrounding waters is sufficiently diminished."
Since the campaign's commencement on March 15, 2025, U.S. forces have conducted over 600 air and naval strikes against Houthi positions, including fortified bunkers and front-line capabilities, primarily in Saada, Sana’a, Amran, and Al-Hudaydah provinces. Strikes have also targeted locations in Ma’rib, Al-Jawf, Hajja, Al-Bayda, Dhamar, and Ibb.
While the Houthis have reported approximately 170 civilian deaths and over 300 injuries since mid-March, they have not disclosed their military losses. These figures are in addition to the 250 deaths and over 700 injuries reported during previous U.S. strikes under President Joe Biden.
U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Operations Director Alexis Grinkewitsch confirmed that dozens of Houthi fighters, including senior figures, have been killed in recent strikes. He reiterated that the operations will persist "until our objectives are fully met."
The U.S. Embassy in Yemen reaffirmed that the campaign targets the Houthis' military infrastructure, not civilians.