The U.S. military has pummeled over 800 targets since mid-March in a campaign aimed at eliminating Houthi terrorists and restoring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, according to an update from Central Command. 

Since the start of “Operation Rough Rider” on March 15, U.S. forces have executed an “intense and sustained campaign” to dismantle the Iran-backed Houthi terrorist organization’s capabilities, CENTCOM said Monday. The strikes have destroyed critical military infrastructure, including command centers, air defense systems, advanced weapons manufacturing sites and stockpiles of anti-ship missiles and drones.

“These strikes have killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders, including senior Houthi missile and UAV officials,” the statement read. 

The Houthis’ ability to launch attacks on international shipping has taken a major hit. U.S. officials say ballistic missile launches have dropped by 69%, while attacks by one-way suicide drones have fallen by 55% since the operation began.

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The Ras Isa Port – previously a key Houthi fueling hub – was also destroyed, cutting off a vital revenue stream the group used to fund its terror activities.

The update came after concerns over the rapid rate at which the offensive campaign has depleted munitions stockpiles, and congressional officials say the campaign has already cost over $1 billion, the New York Times first reported. 

The Houthis have said they will continue to lob projectiles and launch drones toward Western commercial and military ships in the Red Sea in a show of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and Hamas.

Houthi supporters rally to show support to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 15. (Reuters/Khaled Abdullah)

Sunday’s update was the first after six weeks of bombing on how many targets had been struck.

It did not reveal how many civilians had been killed or the cost of the campaign. The U.S. now has two aircraft carriers in the region and has sent in new fighter, bomber and air defense units.

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“To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations. We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do,” the statement read. 

Despite U.S. claims of success, some lawmakers and military analysts have questioned whether the strikes are achieving lasting results. Critics argue that while the campaign has degraded some Houthi capabilities, it has not fully stopped attacks on shipping vessels, U.S. Navy ships, or international maritime traffic.

A crater created by a U.S. airstrike. (Donald Trump/Truth Social)

“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,” the statement said. 

The Houthi offensive was at the center of a bombshell report on a Signal group of top Trump Cabinet officials who used the chat to discuss details and, in the case of Vice President JD Vance, air complaints about the planned strikes. 

“I think we are making a mistake,” Vance wrote in the Signal chat, later published by The Atlantic.

“I am not sure the president is aware how inconsistent this is with his message on Europe right now.” The commercial ships being attacked in the Red Sea are largely European. 

The Trump administration escalated its showdown with Democrat-led states and cities over immigration enforcement on Monday, announcing that the president will sign executive orders that will “unleash America’s law enforcement to pursue criminals” and direct federal agencies to publish a list of “sanctuary cities” that do not cooperate with immigration agents.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt described the sanctuary city executive order in a morning news briefing as “focused on protecting American communities from criminal aliens.”

The order, she said, will direct the attorney general and secretary of Homeland Security to publish a list of state and local jurisdictions that “obstruct the enforcement of federal immigration laws.”

“It’s quite simple,” Leavitt said in the briefing with border czar Tom Homan. “Obey the law, respect the law, and don’t obstruct federal immigration officials and law enforcement officials when they are simply trying to remove public safety threats from our nation’s communities.”

Trump is focusing on immigration — a key platform of his 2024 election campaign — as he approaches his 100th day in office. After the two executive orders are signed, Leavitt said, the president will have signed more than 140 executive orders in three months, a number that she described as “rapidly approaching the total number signed by the Biden administration over the course of four years in office.”

But the administration is already running into legal roadblocks as it seeks to penalize sanctuary cities.

Last week, a federal judge in California barred the Trump administration from denying or conditioning the use of federal funds to San Francisco and more than a dozen other municipalities that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

U.S. District Judge William Orrick said that parts of Trump’s executive orders were unconstitutional, and that the defendants are prohibited “from directly or indirectly taking any action to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funds.”

As a blue state with a massive immigrant population, California is a key player in the nation’s immigration showdown.

After Trump’s November election victory, Gov. Gavin Newsom drafted a conceptual plan to help undocumented immigrants under threat of deportation and called a special legislative session to approve $25 million in additional state funds for possible litigation against the Trump administration.

The Los Angeles City Council also backed a “sanctuary city” law that forbids city employees and resources from being involved in federal immigration enforcement. The law would not prevent federal agents from carrying out mass deportations across Los Angeles, but was intended as a sign that City Hall backs the sprawling region’s immigrants.

On Friday, FBI agents arrested Hannah Dugan, a county judge in Milwaukee, accusing her of obstructing an immigration arrest.

Asked if the Trump administration would lock up a federal judge or a Supreme Court justice, Leavitt said: “Anyone who is breaking the law or obstructing federal law enforcement officials from doing their jobs is putting theirselves at risk of being prosecuted. Absolutely.”