The United States began a campaign of airstrikes against Yemen on March 15, 2025. The purpose of these airstrikes was stated to be to target Yemen’s Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel movement and group dedicated to opposing foreign influence on their government. The Trump Administration reinstated “foreign terrorist organization” designation against the Houthis early into Trump’s presidency. In previous years, the Houthis had been targeting American ships in and surrounding the Red Sea, which, according to BBC, former president Biden stated was compromising trade and safe navigation, as well as costing the U.S. millions.
Typically when there is an airstrike campaign, strikes have to go through the White House for approval before bombs can be dropped. However, Trump has given the U.S. military Central Command, as stated by AP News, which means that they can bypass this process. This could mean an increased rate and amount of strikes and less clarity with the public.
The Biden administration began a similar bombing campaign on the Houthis in January of 2024. BBC detailed that the previous bombing campaign was started as a direct response to the hijacking of an American ship in the Red Sea, while Trump claimed that his administration’s campaign was a result of the previous administration not doing enough. The two administrations used very different strategies in striking the Houthis; According to AP News, Biden’s strikes seemed to be targeting military equipment such as mobile launchers, while the current campaign is honed in on urban areas and cities.
Another key difference between the two campaigns is the transparency and willingness to provide information to the public. As stated by AP News, during the strikes in 2024, Central Command provided details and reasoning behind each target. The current campaign has been notably less willing to share this sort of information to the public. Many U.S. citizens did not find out about the plans to strike until the leak of the group text messages amongst Trump officials detailing their war plans on Signal.
Houthis were quick to strike back at the U.S. Navy, which escalated into one of the most intense upheld sea battles the Navy has faced since World War II, as indicated by AP News. Trump stated that Trump’s administration shows no sign of stopping the airstrikes until the Houthis stop attacking U.S. ships in the Red Sea, so only time will tell where this conflict will go.
