Yemen: Operation Rough Rider
1,000+ strikes in 52 days. $1 billion in the first month. Nearly as many civilians killed as the previous 23 years of U.S. action in Yemen combined. A ceasefire declared — then the Houthis kept firing.
The Houthi movement — formally Ansar Allah — controls large parts of Yemen including the capital Sana'a. In October 2023, following Israel's military campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas October 7 attacks, the Houthis began launching missiles and drones at commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, claiming solidarity with Palestinians and attempting to pressure Israel into a ceasefire.
The Biden administration had conducted targeted retaliatory strikes against Houthi infrastructure and designated the Houthis a foreign terrorist organization, but Trump publicly dismissed Biden's approach as "pathetically weak." Iran's backing of the Houthis — providing weapons, funding, and intelligence — was a consistent U.S. justification for the escalated campaign, particularly given the parallel U.S.-Iran nuclear tensions.
Classified Plans Shared on Consumer App
On March 13, 2025 — two days before strikes began — National Security Adviser Michael Waltz created a Signal group chat called "Houthi PC small group" to coordinate the attacks. Accounts corresponding to Marco Rubio, JD Vance, Tulsi Gabbard, Scott Bessent, Pete Hegseth, John Ratcliffe, Steve Witkoff, Susie Wiles, Joe Kent, and Stephen Miller were included.
Waltz accidentally added The Atlantic's editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, to the group. Goldberg read detailed operational plans before realizing he had been inadvertently included. He subsequently published the contents. The leak revealed that U.S. officials had shared real-time strike details — including target identification — over an unclassified consumer messaging application. Waltz wrote about the first strike target: "their top missile guy — we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed."
The incident raised serious questions about operational security practices at the highest levels of the Trump administration. (Wikipedia; The Intercept; The Atlantic)
CENTCOM Commander Gen. Michael Kurilla proposed an 8–10 month bombing campaign modelled on Israel's operation against Hezbollah: first degrading Houthi air defenses, then conducting targeted assassinations of senior leaders. Saudi officials who supported the plan provided a list of 12 prominent Houthi leaders, stating their deaths would "cripple" the group.
Trump partially approved the plan in early March 2025, giving it 30 days to show results. The campaign was named "Operation Rough Rider" by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The U.S. deployed significant assets including:
- 6 B-2 Spirit stealth bombers deployed to Diego Garcia
- 2 aircraft carriers: USS Harry S. Truman and USS Carl Vinson, plus their strike groups
- U.S. Navy and Air Force fighter jets, A-10 attack aircraft, and MQ-9 drones
- F-16s from the 55th Expeditionary Fighter Squadron (Shaw AFB)
Strikes began March 15, 2025, targeting radar systems, air defense sites, ballistic missile facilities, and drone launch sites. The Pentagon reported conducting more than 800 strikes by late April, crossing 1,000 by May 1. CENTCOM said the operation had killed "hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders," without providing names. The head of Houthi intelligence, Abdulnaser al-Kamali, was reported killed in a targeted vehicle strike.
On April 30, 2025, the United Kingdom joined the campaign, with RAF Typhoon FGR4 fighters striking a Houthi drone manufacturing complex in a joint operation with the U.S. It was the first British participation in Houthi strikes since Trump took office.
On May 6, 2025, Trump announced a cessation of hostilities from the Oval Office during a bilateral meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney — citing Houthi promises to stop attacking commercial shipping. The Houthis stated the ceasefire did not apply to Israel and that they would resume operations if provoked. U.S. officials said the agreement covered Red Sea shipping only.
Civilian Deaths: Nearly Doubled 23 Years of Prior U.S. Action
The Airwars monitoring organization — which tracks civilian harm from U.S. military operations — identified 33 incidents of civilian harm during Operation Rough Rider. The Yemen Data Project put the civilian death toll at a minimum of 238 killed and 467 injured from apparent U.S. strikes between March 15 and April 22 alone. Airwars' overall assessment: the 52-day campaign killed nearly as many civilians as the previous 23 years of U.S. strikes in Yemen combined. (Airwars, June 2025; The Guardian, June 2025; The Intercept, October 2025)
Claimed Achievements
- 1,000+ Houthi targets struck
- "Hundreds of Houthi fighters" killed (CENTCOM)
- Several senior Houthi leaders killed, including intelligence chief
- Houthis agreed to stop attacking U.S. commercial shipping (May 6 ceasefire)
- UK brought into coalition
Limitations & Failures
- U.S. never achieved air superiority over Yemen
- Houthi attacks on Israel continued unabated — ceasefire excluded Israel
- $1B+ spent in 30 days without decisive military result
- Precision munitions stockpiles strained, raising concern for potential Asia-Pacific conflict
- 238+ civilians killed — nearly equaling 23 years of prior U.S. deaths in Yemen
- Houthis resumed shipping and Israel attacks after Iran war began in 2026
- Trump had promised Houthis would be "completely annihilated" — group remained operational
The $1 Billion Question
Former Pentagon official Wes Bryant, who called in thousands of strikes against ISIS as a Special Operations JTAC, said the high tempo of Operation Rough Rider stretched the U.S. capacity for careful targeting — a factor he linked to the civilian casualty rate. Military analysts also noted that the intense pace of munitions expenditure created real concerns about depleting precision-guided weapons stockpiles needed for a potential conflict with China in the Pacific. The campaign cost over $1 billion in its first month, with approximately $200 million spent on munitions alone in the first three weeks. (The Intercept; Air & Space Forces Magazine)
Airwars — Operation Rough Rider Civilian Harm Report
Airwars, June 18, 2025. The definitive civilian harm tracking report for Operation Rough Rider. Documents 33 civilian harm incidents and concludes the campaign nearly doubled the 23-year U.S. civilian casualty toll in Yemen.
The Intercept — Migrant Prison Strike Investigation
The Intercept, October 28, 2025. Reports on the Amnesty International investigation into the April 28 migrant detention center strike, the survivor testimony, and the call for a war crimes inquiry.
Wikipedia — March–May 2025 U.S. Attacks in Yemen
Compiled from CENTCOM, Reuters, AP, and other primary sources. Documents the Signal chat creation, Kurilla's original plan, strike timeline, and casualty figures.
Air & Space Forces Magazine — 1,000 Targets Report
Air & Space Forces Magazine, May 1, 2025. Documents CENTCOM's 45-day progress report, assets deployed including B-2 bombers and two carriers, and the cost and munitions concerns.
Air & Space Forces Magazine — Ceasefire Announcement
Air & Space Forces Magazine, May 6–7, 2025. Reports Trump's surprise ceasefire announcement from the Oval Office during the Carney bilateral, and the Houthis' statement that the deal excluded Israel.
Yemen Data Project
Independent nonprofit tracking civilian casualties in Yemen. Minimum estimate of 238 civilians killed and 467 injured from apparent U.S. strikes between March 15 and April 22, 2025.
The Guardian — Civilian Casualties Analysis
The Guardian, June 18, 2025. Reports on the Airwars findings that Trump's Yemen campaign killed nearly as many civilians as the previous 23 years of U.S. action in Yemen combined.