WASHINGTON (Tribune News Service) — President Donald Trump claimed days of U.S. strikes have “decimated” Houthi rebels whose attacks have disrupted commercial traffic in the Red Sea but gave no details about the campaign, raising fresh questions about its effectiveness.

“Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed.”

The latest U.S. strikes against the Houthis began March 15 and are at the center of an uproar after national security adviser Michael Waltz inadvertently included an Atlantic editor on a Signal group to discuss them.

Trump and his team brushed off concerns about the Signal leak, saying the important thing was that the strikes against the Houthis were more effective than the hundreds of attacks the Biden administration launched against the group. Houthi officials said dozens of people were killed but otherwise there’s been little information about the extent of the strikes.

The administration has repeatedly declined to disclose details of the operation against the Houthis, referring reporters to the U.S. Central Command, which is overseeing the strikes. But CENTCOM has also declined to offer details beyond social media posts that feature videos of fighter jets taking off and footage of air strikes on unidentified targets.

Trump on Monday urged the Houthis to cease attacks on shipping, warning of consequences for the group and its backers in Tehran.

“The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at U.S. 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 Houthis and their sponsors in Iran,” Trump wrote.

Former President Joe Biden began strikes against the Houthis in January of last year in a bid to break the group’s choke hold over shipping in the Red Sea. The Houthis began targeting ships after Israel attacked Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip in response to the Oct. 7 attack, forcing many commercial shippers to rout around the southern tip of Africa.

The group eased off attacks after Hamas and Israel signed a ceasefire, and shipments of some fuels began ticking up again. But shippers have so far held off returning most ships through the Red Sea, and there’s no sign the group’s ability to target commercial vessels has been seriously weakened.

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