U.S. military airstrikes in Yemen have killed at least 500 Houthi fighters, including several senior commanders, over the past few weeks, according to Yemeni Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani and U.S. officials cited in a report by Saudi daily Al Arabiya.

Al-Eryani confirmed that the American strikes targeted key Houthi military infrastructure, including command centers, weapons depots, training camps, and communication hubs. Among those killed, he said, were high-ranking figures involved in maritime attacks and Iranian arms smuggling operations.

“This is not just Yemen’s war,” al-Eryani told Al Arabiya. “It is a battle for the international order, for freedom of navigation, and to protect the region from the expansion of the Iranian regime and its terrorist militias.”

The strikes come in response to Houthi attacks on international shipping lanes and Israel. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) recently confirmed it had destroyed a Houthi fuel facility in western Yemen in a bid to cut off logistical and financial support.

According to Yemeni officials, the air campaign has crippled Houthi air defense systems and significantly degraded their capacity to launch drone and missile strikes, particularly in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The Houthis have not publicly acknowledged the reported losses, while Yemeni officials accuse the group of suppressing casualty figures to maintain internal cohesion.

Al-Eryani praised the Trump administration’s “precise and justified” response, calling continued American pressure “essential” to containing Iranian influence in the region.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)