US claims it killed Houthi's top missile expert in recent strike; Trump says ‘hit them harder everyday’ | What we know

The White House has stated that US strikes in Yemen earlier this month killed Houthis' top missile expert. However, the US military has yet to confirm the death, and the identity of the Houthi commander remains unclear.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told CBS News the weekend after the March 15 strikes, said the first wave killed "their head missileer." He also mentioned the killing in a private text chat, which The Atlantic revealed last week. He wrote, "The first target – their top missile guy – we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed."

In his post Monday, President Donald Trump said Houthi had been "decimated" by "relentless" strikes since March 15, saying that US forces "hit them every day and night - Harder and harder."

What US military said?

Meanwhile, sources close to the US officials told Reuters that they were unaware of any independent the US military confirmation that such a person had been killed. It is unusual for the Pentagon to not confirm a White House announcement about a military operation.

When the White House was asked about the strike, it directed Reuters to the U.S. military. However, the military refused to confirm the death or provide the person's name, despite being asked multiple times over a week.

Houthi representatives were unavailable for comment due to the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday.

Who could be killed in the strike?

According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington-based think tank, Abdul Khaliq Badruddin Al-Houthi is the "de-facto commander of the Strategic Missile Forces."

Mohammed Albasha, whose Basha Report risk advisory firm researches open-source information about Yemen, has tallied Houthi reports of more than 40 Houthi fighters killed in action in air strikes in March.

Nobody as senior as Abdul Khaliq Badruddin Al-Houthi has been identified yet, he said, nor is he aware of any death announced on Houthi television of a person whose profile would be a match for the individual mentioned by Waltz.

Still, the Houthis don't always identify their dead right away, and leaders of the missile forces are considered "secret," he cautioned.

Trump threats Houthis, "real pain to come", Yemen Millitary responds

Trump vowed Monday that strikes on Yemen's Houthi will continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping, warning the rebels and their Iranian backers of "real pain" to come.

"The choice for the Huthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Huthis and their sponsors in Iran," Trump said on his Truth Social platform.

Yemen Millitary responds, "Your strikes did not achieve a military objective. We will not stop what we are doing, unless you can stop us."

Shortly after Trump's threat, Yemeni rebel media said two US strikes Monday hit the island of Kamaran, off the Hodeida coast.

Huthi-held parts of Yemen have faced near daily attacks since the US launched a military offensive on March 15 to stop them threatening vessels in key maritime routes. The first day alone, US officials said they killed senior Huthi leaders, while the rebels' health ministry said 53 people were killed.

Since then, rebels have announced the continued targeting of US military ships and Israel.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)