The Houthi-run health ministry said on 2025-03-16 that the death toll from US strikes in Yemen had risen to 53, as Washington signalled that its campaign against the Iran-backed group would continue.
According to the Houthi health ministry spokesperson, the dead included five children and two women, with 98 people wounded. The update came after earlier reports of US strikes on Houthi targets and followed a weekend in which the US described its actions as a "decisive and powerful" wave of attacks aimed at degrading the group's capability to threaten shipping in the Red Sea.
The BBC report in the packet said the latest strikes hit areas in Al Jaouf and Hudaydah, while the US Central Command said its forces had continued operations. The Houthis said the strikes caused new casualties and intensified an already volatile confrontation that has widened beyond the immediate maritime attacks that first drew the US into the conflict.
The US has said the campaign is intended to restore freedom of navigation and deter the Houthi attacks on commercial and military vessels. National Security Adviser Michael Waltz told US media that Saturday's strikes targeted multiple Houthi leaders and removed them. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the missile campaign would not stop until the Houthi attacks stopped.
The Houthis, for their part, said they would keep targeting Red Sea shipping until Israel lifted its blockade of Gaza. Their leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, said the group would also target US ships in the Red Sea as long as US attacks on Yemen continued. Iran's foreign minister condemned Washington's role and accused the US of having no authority to dictate Iranian foreign policy.
The casualty update underlines how quickly the exchange of strikes has escalated into a broader regional test of wills. Since late 2023, the Houthis have used missiles, drones and small-boat attacks against ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Those attacks have sunk two vessels, seized a third and killed four crew members, according to the BBC report.
For the US, the issue is now framed as one of deterrence and maritime security. For the Houthis, it is tied to their political and military positioning in Yemen and their declared support for Palestinians. The result is a cycle in which each round of strikes appears to harden the other side's response.
The ministry's latest toll cannot be independently verified from the material in the packet, but it shows the scale of the civilian and militant casualties the Houthis say they have suffered. With new strikes reported and no sign of a pause in rhetoric from either side, the confrontation now appears set to continue in the Red Sea corridor and across Yemen.
