US airstrikes in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa have killed at least eight people overnight, according to Houthi rebels. Blood stains, bodies, and children’s toys could be seen among the rubble in the Bani Al Harith district in a video released by the Islamic extremist military group.

The Houths’ al-Masirah satellite news channel reported that eight people were killed in the strike, something not immediately acknowledged by Health Ministry officials. It appears to mark the latest escalation in the military campaign launched by Donald Trump last month as he seeks to prevent Iran from advancing its nuclear program. The American military has acknowledged carrying out more than 800 individual strikes from March 15 until April 15 as part of ‘Operation Roughrider’.

An overnight statement from the US military’s Central Command said the operation has ‘killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders’. They include top Houthi members associated with its missile and drone program, though they were not identified. ‘Iran undoubtedly continues to provide support to the Houthis,’ the Central Command statement said. ‘The Houthis can only continue to attack our forces with the backing of the Iranian regime. We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,’ it added.

The US is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis also are the last militant group in Iran´s self-described ‘Axis of Resistance’ that is capable of regularly attacking Israel. Strikes also hit Yemen’s Amran and Saada governorates during the night, the Houthis added. Two others were killed on Sunday, the Houthis said.

Assessing the toll of the month-old US airstrike campaign has been difficult because the military hasn´t released specific information about the attacks, including what was targeted and how many people were killed. The Houthis, meanwhile, strictly control access to attacked areas and don´t publish complete information on the strikes, many of which likely have targeted military and security sites. Funeral notices suggest high-ranking Houthis have been killed in the American attacks. ‘To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,’ Central Command said Monday. ‘We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we´ve done or what we will do.’

But the military hasn’t acknowledged strikes killing civilians – something activists warn likely has happened in the intense campaign. The US is conducting strikes from its two aircraft carriers in the region – the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea. On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign.

Central Command offered an explanation for why it hit the port on Monday. ‘US strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities,’ it said. Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly sought to control the flow of information from the territory it holds to the outside world.

It issued a notice Sunday that all those holding Starlink satellite internet receivers should ‘quickly hand over’ the devices to authorities. ‘A field campaign will be implemented in coordination with the security authorities to arrest anyone who sells, trades, uses, operates, installs or possesses these prohibited terminals,’ the Houthis warned. Starlink terminals have been crucial for Ukraine in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion and receivers also have been smuggled into Iran amid unrest there.

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