In the past two days, Yemen witnessed over 60 precise American and British strikes from air and sea targeting dozens of Houthi sites aimed at crippling their military capabilities, which have threatened maritime safety in the Red Sea in recent months. The strikes affected six provinces, most notably the capital Sana'a, as well as Hodeidah and Taiz in the northwest of the country, in addition to Saada and Dhamar to the north.
But how effective were these strikes according to experts? In this context, Majid Al-Madhaji, co-founder of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies, told AFP that "the Houthis know how to hide their arsenal by taking advantage of the difficult geography of the area." He believed that Western strikes may have destroyed part of their military capabilities, but did not eliminate them. He also suggested that the "threat remains high" in the Red Sea.
Fabian Hintz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, noted, "Many of the systems used by the Houthis are very small and highly mobile, making it easy to distribute them throughout the country." He emphasized the importance of intelligence in this area.
Two American officials revealed that even after striking more than 60 targets with over 150 precision-guided munitions, these strikes destroyed only about 20 to 30 percent of the Houthis' offensive capabilities, most of which are mounted on mobile platforms that can be easily moved or hidden. The officials noted that American and other Western intelligence agencies have not spent significant time or resources in recent years gathering data on the locations of Houthi air defense systems, command centers, ammunition depots, storage facilities, and production sites for drones and missiles, according to the New York Times.
Houthi Division? Washington expects the Houthi group to respond to these strikes, especially since they have so far only reacted minimally, launching a single missile away from one of the vessels transiting the Red Sea, which did not result in any damage. However, one American official speculated that there might be a division within the group regarding how to respond.
What is certain is that more Houthi attacks could occur in the coming days as the Iranian-backed group formulates its plan, according to observers. It is noteworthy that a new strike targeted a military site in Hodeidah in western Yemen yesterday afternoon, from which the Houthis had launched a missile towards the Red Sea, according to two sources within the Houthi ranks and the U.S. military, following hours after an American strike on a base in Sana'a, as reported by AFP. This strike came a day after American and British forces launched dozens of airstrikes on various military sites belonging to the Houthis early Friday and Saturday.
