Civilian toll of US bombing in Yemen

A late May ceasefire between Yemen's Houthi rebels and the US appears to be holding, although Israel and the Houthis are still in conflict, with the latter saying this week that they have joined Iran's war effort. A new report from casualty monitor AirWars looks at the civilian death toll during the 53 days of "Operation Rough Rider," when Trump escalated a long-running US bombing campaign in Yemen. The monitor says at least 224 civilians were killed between the operation's start in mid-March until the May truce, marking a massive escalation from previous US campaigns. If you also include the 258 civilians counted as killed in the previous 23 years of US operations against the Houthis, al-Qaeda, and other groups, it takes the overall civilian toll from US bombing in Yemen to almost 500.

From The New Humanitarian, June 20

Houthis in dual strikes on Red Sea ships

Houthi rebels used small boats and bomb-laden drones to strike a Greek-owned cargo ship passing through the Red Sea on July 7. Just a day earlier, they sank another bulk carrier there. Fatima al Asrar of the Washington Center for Yemeni Studies tells The World that the strikes are designed to send an unmistakable message to global shipping companies.