March–May 2025 United States attacks in Yemen
| Operation Rough Rider | |
|---|---|
| Part of the US–UK airstrikes on Yemen, Red Sea crisis, and Middle Eastern crisis (2023–present) | |
US striking Houthi positions in Yemen on March 15 | |
| Location | |
| Target | |
| Date | 15 March – 6 May 2025 (1 month and 3 weeks) |
| Executed by | |
| Outcome | Inconclusive
|
| Casualties | US/Yemeni estimate: 500–600 Houthis killed Houthi claim: 123 people killed, 247 wounded (15 March to 15 April) 80 killed, 150+ wounded (on 17 April) |
In March 2025, the United States launched a large campaign of air and naval strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Codenamed Operation Rough Rider, it has been the largest U.S. military operation in the Middle East of President Donald Trump's second term. The strikes began on March 15, targeting radar systems, air defenses, and ballistic and drone launch sites used by the Houthis to attack commercial ships and naval vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. On 30 April 2025, the United Kingdom joined the United States in conducting strikes on Houthi targets.
The Houthi group began targeting international shipping in October 2023, after Israel invaded the Gaza Strip in response to the October 7 Hamas attacks. Claiming solidarity with Palestinians and aiming to pressure Israel into agreeing to a ceasefire and lifting its blockade of Gaza, the Houthis launched missiles and drones at vessels traveling near Yemen, and also fired ballistic missiles at Israeli cities, killing at least one civilian in Tel Aviv. In response, the United States, the United Kingdom, and a multinational coalition began Operation Prosperity Guardian, combining naval escorts with episodic airstrikes on Houthi military and civilian infrastructure.
By mid-March 2025, the Houthis had attacked more than 190 ships, sinking two, seizing another, and killing at least four seafarers. On March 18, Trump warned Iran—longtime backers of the Houthis—that further attacks would be considered acts of aggression, despite no direct involvement.
On May 6, President Donald Trump declared the strikes to be over, "effective immediately," as a result of a ceasefire between the U.S. and the Houthis, brokered by Oman. The Houthis asserted that the ceasefire did not in "any way, shape, or form" include attacking Israel, which had just begun bombing Yemen.