In a recent development, Iran has ordered its military personnel to withdraw from Yemen as the US continues its relentless strikes against the Houthi rebel group.
According to Iranian and US officials, the decision aims to prevent further casualties and avoid a larger conflict.
A senior Iranian official, quoted in international reports, said that Tehran is reducing its support to regional proxy groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
These groups, which were previously an important part of Iran’s regional influence, are no longer the focus of leadership discussions in Tehran.
Instead, the official said that internal talks are now centered around how to deal with the growing pressure from US President Donald Trump’s administration.
The official explained that the Houthis are now seen as a weak force with little chance of surviving and that they were part of allied forces, but with the downfall of key figures like Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah and Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad, they don’t see any reason to maintain only one link.
Iran’s decision to take a step back follows weeks of near-daily airstrikes by the US Navy on Houthi sites. The campaign began on March 15 to stop attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.
CENTCOM operations against Iran-backed Houthis continue… pic.twitter.com/DYvc3gREN8
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 15, 2025
The Houthis temporarily ceased their attacks but resumed after Israel cut off aid to Gaza.
American officials told the New York Times that the Navy’s airstrikes have been much more frequent and intense than publicly acknowledged. The Institute for the Study of War recorded 28 airstrikes between April 2 and 3 alone.
The campaign is set to expand with a second US aircraft carrier on its way to join the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea, which will double America’s military power in the region.
US officials believe the Houthis still hold a large stockpile of weapons hidden in fortified underground bunkers. Till now, the US has not used the specialised munitions needed to hit these hardened sites.
The Pentagon has denied claims that the bombing operation will stretch out over several months but confirmed that it is moving forward according to planned phases.
The Navy’s regional commands now have direct control over strike decisions and are using advanced precision-guided weapons, like cruise missiles and glide bombs to avoid entering areas defended by Houthi air defenses.
Per reports, the cost of the campaign is relatively low for a conflict of this scale, around $1 billion to date.
However, Pentagon planners are increasingly concerned about the slow pace of replenishing precision air-launched weapons, which are important for future operations, including a possible conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
Meanwhile, the Houthis continue to resist. The group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed that the US carried out more than 36 airstrikes across multiple areas of Yemen in a single day.
He said that in retaliation, the group targeted the USS Harry S. Truman and managed to shoot down a US MQ-9 drone that was carrying out reconnaissance missions over Hodeida province on the Red Sea coast.
Reference: timesofisrael