Videos Reveal at Least 200 Houthis Killed in U.S. Airstrikes

At least 82 Houthi officers in addition to over 120 fighters have been killed in U.S. airstrikes since U.S. President Donald Trump ordered attacks against the Iran-backed group in Yemen in mid-March, according to a Newsweek analysis of videos from funerals and official announcements.

A Houthi spokesperson told Newsweek that there had been losses, but they were small compared to those in an earlier war against forces from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Why It Matters

The number of officers killed is a measure of the damage done to the Iran-backed Houthis in the first major military assault ordered under Trump’s presidency. Despite the attacks, the group has continued to launch missiles against Israel and to announce attacks on U.S. aircraft carriers and the shooting down of American drones.

Trump has vowed to destroy the group designated by the United States as a terrorist organization. It has proven a threat to global maritime navigation, disrupting a vital global trading route through the Red Sea with hundreds of missile attacks on commercial vessels since eruption of the Gaza War between Israel and Hamas in 2023.

What To Know

At least 78 officers ranking from lieutenant to lieutenant colonel were killed in U.S. airstrikes on Yemen since March. Although not among Houthis’ top commanders, they played leading roles and all were given significant funeral processions. The losses of four more senior officers were also announced.

In addition, there were funerals for at least 120 Houthi fighters, which would bring the total military death toll to over 200. Newsweek was unable to establish whether the number of funerals broadcast for fighters is as good a reflection of the total number killed as it is for their officers. U.S. estimates have put the total Houthi combatant toll in the hundreds.

The Houthis have reported scores of people killed in U.S. strikes and said that many of them were civilians, but have not said how many of them were fighters.

Houthis Announce Martyrs

“There are indeed martyrs whom we mourn who were killed by the American-Zionist aggression on our country, and we do not deny that — but their number is very, very small, and none of them were prominent commanders,” a Houthi spokesman told Newsweek. He requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on military matters.

Al-Masirah satellite TV channel, a primary media arm for the group also known as Ansar Allah, broadcast over 200 funerals for fighters between March 15 to April 24, 2025.

U.S. officials have said multiple Houthi senior commanders and drone operators were killed in airstrikes.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) spokesman Dave Eastburn said Thursday that the U.S. has struck more than 800 Houthi targets, destroying command facilities, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing and storage facilities, and “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” according to The Associated Press.

The Houthis confirmed the loss of four high-ranking military officers: Brigadier General Hamdan al-Jabali, colonels Zain al-Abidin al-Muhtouri and Ibrahim al-Ashmouri in March, and Colonel Jabr Mabkhout al-Dhabi last week.

Individual funeral videos for fighters are often compiled and released at the same time.

Trump Ordered Attacks On Houthis

The counts showed a significant increase since the early weeks of April. The highest number of videos broadcast on a single day came on April 7, a period during which the U.S. intensified airstrikes on Sana’a and other Houthi-controlled governorates in Yemen.

The group responded with the escalation of drone and missile warfare against the U.S. and Israel.

Dozens of funeral videos reviewed by Newsweek, each exceeding five minutes in length, show a consistent pattern.

Each coffin is typically transported in a convoy of at least a dozen four-wheel drive vehicles, often accompanied by police and gunmen. Upon arrival at burial sites, large crowds—primarily men and teenagers—gather for prayers and group chants. Military and police uniforms are commonly worn by attendees.

Family members, including fathers and siblings, often deliver short speeches on camera, focused on themes of resistance and ongoing conflict. In one video, a speaker said: “This is a message to the enemies of God: America, Israel, Britain, and the Arab states who follow them.”

Prominent photos of the deceased are displayed, bearing the date of death and a recurring slogan: “Death to America, Death to Israel.” Crowd chants frequently echo these phrases and include expressions of support for Palestinians in Gaza. The processions serve as both memorial and messaging tool.

Who Are The Houthis?

The Houthis say they are acting in sympathy with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, which has been devastated by Israeli forces since the Hamas attack on Israel from there on October 7, 2023.

Newsweek was not able to to independently verify whether all ranking officers killed belonged to Houthi military or police forces. In one funeral for a Houthi captain, a security officer said he had been killed during rescue operations at the Ras Isa Port, where the group said more than 70 people had been killed.

A recent report by the Saudi state-affiliated broadcaster Al-Arabiya said up to 600 Houthi fighters had been killed, citing unnamed officials and sources familiar with intelligence assessments. Saudi Arabia, which backs the Houthis’ main rival—the internationally recognized Yemeni government—led a military coalition against the group in 2015 but failed to destroy it.

What People Are Saying

A Houthi media spokesperson told Newsweek: “Yes, there are indeed martyrs whom we mourn who were killed by the American-Zionist aggression on our country, and we do not deny that — but their number is very, very small, and none of them were prominent commanders. I can say that the total number of martyrs we’ve lost — whether soldiers or leaders — throughout the entire period of American aggression against our country, during both the Biden and Trump administrations, does not even compare to the number of martyrs we lost in a single day during the early years of the war with Saudi Arabia and the UAE.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in speech at the Army War College: “In Yemen, the Defense Department is executing lethal operations against Houthi terrorists. Our forces have struck hundreds of targets and decimated Houthi leadership, substantially reducing their capabilities and the threat to U.S. ships in the Red Sea and across and through the BAM (Bab al Mandab Strait). We have demonstrated America’s commitment to defending our interests and restoring freedom of navigation, which we will do and are doing quickly. This is a clear, limited mission executed with ruthlessness, full stop.”

What Happens Next

With the Houthis continuing to carry out attacks, the U.S. airstrikes look set to continue. There have also been media reports of a potential ground offensive by Yemeni government forces with U.S. backing.