The Pentagon on Thursday conducted 20 to 25 airstrikes in Yemen, part of a ramped-up flurry of military activity against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) since President Trump's inauguration. After approving a Jan. 29 Special Operations ground assault, which resulted in the death of one Navy SEAL and several civilians plus a $75 million Chinook helicopter, Trump is considering giving generals more discretion to launch counterterrorism raids, and that's already true in Yemen, a defense official tells The Washington Post.
Trump has designated Yemen an "area of active hostility," the official said, granting military officials authority to launch strikes without White House approval, similar to former President Barack Obama's anti-Islamic State arrangement with Sirte, Libya, last year. It isn't clear how long the authority will last. There were local media reports that U.S. troops flew in from ships on Thursday for a ground raid, but Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis called those reports inaccurate. "We have U.S. Special Operations forces that go in and out of Yemen to assist our partner forces in fighting al Qaeda," Davis said, but the U.S. forces did not conduct any raids.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Giorgio Armani obituary: designer revolutionised the business of fashionIn the Spotlight ‘King Giorgio’ came from humble beginnings to become a titan of the fashion industry and redefine 20th century clothing
-
Kim Jong Un’s triumph: the rise and rise of North Korea’s dictatorIn the Spotlight North Korean leader has strengthened ties with Russia and China, and recently revealed his ‘respected child’ to the world
-
Crossword: September 13, 2025The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to TrumpSpeed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raidsSpeed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raidSpeed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearingSpeed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mountSpeed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own listspeed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act
-
Court hands Harvard a win in Trump funding battleSpeed Read The Trump administration was ordered to restore Harvard's $2 billion in research grants
