President Donald Trump has claimed that recent U.S. airstrikes in Yemen have “decimated” the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist group, but officials behind closed doors are painting a very different picture. According to a New York Times report published Friday, Pentagon officials have quietly acknowledged that the strikes have fallen short of expectations, failing to dismantle the Houthis’ fortified underground weapons infrastructure.
The report reveals growing frustration within the Defense Department, where sources admit that U.S. forces are struggling to inflict lasting damage on the Iran-backed group’s deeply embedded arsenal. Despite increasingly intense operations ordered under the Trump administration, the Pentagon has reportedly refrained from publicly disclosing the full scale of the strikes or their limited effectiveness.
“The underground bunkers are well-fortified,” said one official quoted in the Times. “We underestimated how prepared they were.”
Behind the scenes, the cost of the campaign is mounting. The U.S. has already spent an estimated $200 million in munitions alone, a figure that excludes the deployment of two aircraft carriers, personnel, and other military assets in the region. One congressional source told the Times that total expenses could hit $1 billion by next week.
The United States has also dedicated substantial resources to protecting Israel, its key ally in the region, from Houthi aerial threats. The use of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to intercept incoming missiles can cost between $12 million and $15 million per use, according to Israeli media outlet Walla.
Despite the pressure on Israel from frequent Houthi missile fire, a source told the Jerusalem Post that the U.S. had advised Israel against striking Houthi positions, instead opting to take the lead in the sustained offensive. While Israeli Air Force strikes have successfully targeted Houthi sites in the past, U.S. officials believe American forces—bolstered by aircraft carriers and long-range precision weapons—are better equipped for prolonged engagement.
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5 Responses
But you see they haven’t sent any missiles in the last few days or week so you still believe the ny slimes. If you’re an honest person you wouldn’t be quoting anything from the ny slimes or fake news. All tgey try to do all day is to have negative repirts n Trump and Israel and anything in between.
Trump has done minimal damage to the Houthis, minimal damage to Hamas and minimal damage to Iran. The only thing he has destroyed is the US economy and the US leadership role in the world. Sad that so many ignored the obvious and voted for this vindictive madman.
The US had a leadership role in the world over the past 4 years? I remember people not even answering the Presidents calls from day 1.
Trump is great. The Houthis are on the run. Don’t underestimate the fire power of the American military which is number one in the world. They can reduce Yemen into rubble. The planes and war ships America has is awesome.
What kind of angle would you expect from the New York Times yimach shemo???
Even if the Trump would have open miracles from shamayim they will present it as a failure on his side
Come to think of it, this article could be a sign that he is actually doing very well!