Houthis conduct retaliatory strikes, issue threats, sanctions, and boycotts against US and Israel

The Houthis have responded to the ongoing US campaign against the group with attacks targeting the United States and Israel, as well as ostensibly punitive economic measures. US Central Command (CENTCOM) has conducted approximately 750 airstrikes against the terrorist group that rules north Yemen since March 15, according to a US official.

Military action against the US Navy

Yayha Saree, the Houthis’ military spokesman, has made over a dozen announcements stating that the group engaged the USS Truman and USS Vinson aircraft carriers operating in the Red Sea.

Saree’s most recent statement on April 22 said that the group’s “missile force, unmanned air force, and naval forces carried out two military operations … with a number of cruise missiles and drones.” The Houthis routinely employ cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but they have also targeted the US carriers with ballistic missiles.

Though the Houthi statements routinely affirm that “the military operations have successfully achieved their goals, thanks to God,” there is no evidence of damage to US naval vessels.

On April 22, Saree claimed that the group downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone. He claimed it was the seventh UAV the group had shot down in April and the twenty-second since the Houthis began attacks in October 2023 in support of Hamas terrorists in Gaza. An anonymous US official told ABC News that the Houthis have downed six Reaper drones since the beginning of US operations and at least 15 Reapers since October 2023. The Pentagon has previously disputed the number of drones the Houthis claim to have destroyed without providing an alternate number. According to the Congressional Research Service, an MQ-9 Reaper drone costs about $30 million.

Mahdi al Mashat, the president of the Supreme Political Council of Yemen, the Houthi-controlled governing body in the country’s north, issued a vague threat against other US assets, saying, “The B2 bomber, the news of which will come soon, God Almighty willing.” Mashat was referring to B2 stealth bombers that the US moved to Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean, at the end of March. The Houthis previously targeted manned US aircraft in February 2025.

Attacks on Israel

Since March 15, Saree has made 17 announcements of attacks against Israel that have employed ballistic missiles, including the Zulfiqar and Palestine 2, and drones, including the Jaffa and Samad 1. Most of the attacks targeted the central region of Israel or military bases.

The latest attack on April 22 targeted Haifa with an unspecified missile the Houthis claimed was a hypersonic ballistic missile. Sirens sounded in Israel, and the IDF acknowledged the attack was from a projectile originating in Yemen.

The IDF stated that sirens have sounded due to projectiles from Yemen 11 times since March 15. “The Houthis in Yemen have launched more than 20 ballistic missiles and several drones at Israel. Only half of the missiles set off sirens in the country and were shot down, while the others fell short” since March 18, according to The Times of Israel.

Houthi missiles that failed to reach Israel have landed in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. A Houthi missile launched on April 20 landed in a market in Sanaa, the Houthi-controlled capital, and killed 12 people, according to CENTCOM. However, the Houthis claimed the incident was a US airstrike. Nevertheless, local sources reported in the immediate aftermath that the explosion was due to a Houthi missile, and the group closed the scene and arrested those who documented the incident.

Moammar al Eryani, the minister of information, culture, and tourism for the internationally recognized government in Yemen, argued that the reported coverup is further evidence that the terrorist group caused the explosion.

Houthi sanctions

On April 20, Mashat announced sanctions against American defense contractors. His statement identified 15 arms-manufacturing companies the Houthis added to a sanctions list entitled “Supporters of the Usurping Zionist Entity.” Mashat also said that oil companies will be sanctioned.

The Humanitarian Coordination Center (HOCC), the Houthi-controlled government arm that issued the sanctions, said, “The measures taken today through sanctions are part of our religious, humanitarian, and moral responsibility toward the oppressed Palestinian people.” The actions come in response to continuing US sanctions against the Houthis.

A boycott of American and Israeli goods

Mashat followed the sanctions by announcing a boycott of American and Israeli goods. He instructed the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Investment to implement the ban following a three-month period. Afterward, “any American product will be banned from entering or being present in any store.” Mashat further called on citizens to boycott stores if they do not abide by this policy, as “the boycott is mandated by the Holy Quran.”

Local news reports argued that this action will destabilize the Yemeni economy, which relies heavily on imports. Eryani said that the boycott “is a repressive approach that clearly reveals that the only loser from these policies is the Yemeni trader and consumer, not American companies.”

Bridget Toomey is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Iranian proxies, specifically Iraqi militias and the Houthis.