Israel estimates Houthis only have ‘few dozen’ ballistic missiles left; PM Netanyahu praises ‘forceful’ US strikes in Yemen

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the ongoing U.S. strikes against the Yemeni Houthi terror group, which, despite the escalating strikes, continues to fire ballistic missiles at Israel on a near-daily basis.

According to a Channel 12 News report, Israel’s security establishment estimates that the group still has several dozen ballistic missiles left, and will continue launching them as long as Israel continues military operations in the Gaza Strip.

“I greatly appreciate the actions of our ally, the U.S.,” Netanyahu said in remarks at the start of a government meeting on Sunday.

“They are dealing with them very forcefully. Of course, we are acting to defend ourselves, as has happened recently. But the fact that the U.S. has gone in there vigorously is a major change,” he said.

In October 2023, after the Houthis declared solidarity with Hamas and began attacking Israel, as well as international shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Israel conducted five rounds of airstrikes in Yemen, most recently in January.

“We always appreciate alliances. We have an alliance with the greatest superpower in the world, which is lining up behind us there, and in other arenas, without reservation, and with the full appreciation of the citizens and Government of Israel,” Netanyahu declared.

US Air Campaign Against the Houthis: US Central Command (CENTCOM) conducted at least 44 airstrikes targeting Houthi infrastructure and leadership in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen since CTP-ISW's last data cutoff on March 27. Some Houthi officials have already begun threatening… https://t.co/ywrOIWSRUX pic.twitter.com/Y67sTXpTRG

— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) March 28, 2025

On March 15, the Trump administration announced the start of a new, particularly intense campaign of airstrikes against the Houthis in an effort to restore security and U.S. deterrence.

Unlike the Biden government, the Trump administration reportedly gave U.S. Central Command (US CENTCOM) a permanent green light to launch offensive strikes without waiting for authorization for each separate attack.

This has resulted in dozens of U.S. strikes per day, with last Friday seeing a peak of dozens of separate strikes. According to Houthi-affiliated media, U.S. attacks continued into Monday morning.

According to Channel 12, Israeli security officials assess that the Houthis will continue attacking Israel, despite the U.S. strikes and several other limitations, like their depleting stock of missiles.

For one, they can only produce a few of the massive, hundreds-of-kilo heavy missiles per month. In addition, the Houthis are estimated to only have a few dozen launchers, and a dwindling number of suitable launch sites – a far less than ideal situation amid the escalating U.S. attacks.

Yemen’s mountainous terrain, along with a surge in underground construction since the group’s 2022 truce with the Saudi-led coalition, has played a key role in enabling the terror group to continue launching attacks on Israel and U.S. warships.

According to a report issued by the UK-based security think tank, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Houthis have “embarked on a more expansive construction effort that went beyond refurbishing and expanding existing Saleh-era underground facilities.”

Following the example of other Iran-backed militias like Hamas and Hezbollah, the Houthis constructed large underground facilities, which are probably used to conceal and guard their missile and drone arsenal against U.S. and Israeli strikes.

Since it began its Operation Poseidon Archer against the Houthis, the U.S. Department of Defense has confirmed some of its strikes have targeted underground Houthi facilities.

The recently intensified operations under the Trump administration appear to be aimed not only at infrastructure but also at dismantling the Houthi leadership.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said the Houthis' “head missileer” was eliminated, however, the group so far hasn’t acknowledged losses in its leadership.