US ended Houthi campaign amid mounting risks, soaring expenses: Report

The US ended its two-month military campaign against the Yemeni Houthi group after a series of costly losses and rising risks to personnel, according to a New York Times report published on Tuesday.

The campaign that was launched on 15 March was said to be an effort to degrade Houthi capabilities targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since November 2023 in solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. But it quickly turned into a high-cost operation with diminishing returns.

In just 30 days, the Houthis downed at least seven MQ-9 Reaper drones, each valued at around $30 million, preventing the US from achieving its goal of air superiority, according to CNN.

Several F-16s and an F-35 aircraft narrowly escaped Houthi air defences, “making real the possibility of American casualties,” US officials told the New York Times.

And two F/A-18 Super Hornets, worth $67 million each, fell into the sea from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in separate incidents. Three US personnel were injured during the incidents.

The US military spent approximately $1 billion in munitions during the first month of the campaign, the newspaper reported, raising concerns about the sustainability of the operation.

Behind the scenes, Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, engaged in Omani-mediated nuclear talks with Iran, reported a proposed off-ramp from Oman. Muscat offered the US to halt bombing in exchange for a cessation of Houthi attacks on American vessels, according to American and Arab officials.

The US launched a major air strike campaign against Houthi targets in Yemen from 15 March to 6 May, killing hundreds of Yemenis.

The campaign ended when President Donald Trump announced an immediate ceasefire between the US and the Houthis.