In two different parts of the world, two countries—the United States and Pakistan—paused fighting against the Houthis and India, respectively, after their military campaigns failed to yield results. Interestingly, both declared victory. But the question lingers: Did they win?
A new report published by The New York Times on May 12 claims that the US decided to end its bombing campaign against the Yemen-based Houthi militia after facing unprecedented losses like those of the MQ-9 Reaper drones and F/A-18 Super Hornets, and a near loss of the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter.
Trump launched Operation Rough Rider, a bombing operation against the Iran-backed Houthi group, on March 15, 2025.
The operation was aimed at decimating the militia, which not only operates as Iran’s proxy in the region but was also posing a great threat to shipping lanes in the Red Sea. The bombing was launched after the Houthis warned they would resume strikes on Israeli vessels in the Red Sea after it ended the ceasefire in Gaza.
“To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” Trump said before the start of Operation Rough Rider. “Do NOT threaten the American People, their President… or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BE AWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and we won’t be nice about it!”
While Trump expected results within 30 days, the US had not achieved air superiority by Day 31. On the contrary, the campaign reportedly cost about US$1 billion in munitions in the first month alone, making it too expensive to be sustainable.
The Houthis have purportedly been armed to the teeth with an array of lethal ballistic missiles, drones, and air defenses, all of which were employed to strike the US.
In the first 30 days alone, the Houthis destroyed seven American MQ-9 drones, worth about US$30 million apiece, making it more difficult for Central Command to detect and target the militia.
As per the report, which cited several informed sources, the Houthi air defenses came dangerously close to hitting several American F-16s and an F-35 fighter jet, raising the prospect of American losses.
The US Navy’s ace stealth fighter, the F-35C Lightning II, arrived in the Middle Eastern theatre as part of the air wing of the USS Carl Vinson. Last month, the fighter was reported to be shooting down missiles and drones fired by the Houthis. A potential loss of the F-35 in the Houthi fire would have been a major embarrassment for the US Navy.
However, it wasn’t as fortunate with its F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, two of which were lost to the Red Sea in less than ten days. Both aircraft plummeted into the sea from the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier. Overall, the US lost 3 Super Hornets in less than 6 months.
The first aircraft went down on April 28 when the carrier conducted an evasive manoeuvre to avoid enemy fire, whereas the second aircraft plunged following a failed night-time landing, as recently reported by the EurAsian Times.
One Super Hornet costs about US$60 million, which means that the US lost US$120 million worth of fighters during Operation Rough Rider.
More than a month after this campaign began, the Houthi militia was far from being decimated. Frustrated by the lack of progress and apprehensive of a protracted Middle East conflict, Trump chose an exit plan.
His Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, communicated an Omani-mediated compromise on May 5, 2025: the US would stop its bombing, and the Houthis would cease attacking American ships in the Red Sea, but they could still attack shipping associated with Israel. That same day, the US stopped the offensive.
To the surprise of Pentagon officials, Trump announced the truce on May 6, 2025, at an unrelated meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in the Oval Office. While the Houthis hailed the ceasefire as a victory over the US, President Trump said the Houthis had “capitulated”, despite his earlier pledge to “annihilate” them.
The move was criticised by Israeli media, which accused Trump of “dropping a bombshell” and not coordinating with allies before arriving at the decision. However, unbothered by that, Donald Trump has continued to make it look like a US victory and avoid the truth about the saturation of the US war effort.
Similarly, in another part of the world, Pakistan has claimed victory against India, one that it does not appear to have achieved.
Pakistan Declares Victory After Getting Battered
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, 2025, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack that killed 26 tourists. The operation began with India targeting terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Pakistan responded to these attacks shortly after by unleashing drones and missiles on India.
This triggered a retaliatory response from India, and the two sides launched attacks and counterattacks on each other as tensions mounted.
On May 10, Pakistan launched a fresh offensive, named Operation Bunyan Marsoos. The operation involved a combination of artillery fire, missile strikes, fighter jets, and drones targeting 36 locations in India, including Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur, Amritsar, Chandigarh, and other northern and western cities.
India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire on May 10, after three days of fighting. The ceasefire, purportedly brokered by the US, came into effect at 5:00 pm.
Following the ceasefire, Pakistan claimed a decisive military victory over India, with Pakistan’s parliament passing a resolution on May 12 commending the Pakistani military for its “victory.” Pakistani officials and media have also framed the ceasefire as a strategic and military success.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described Pakistan’s military actions as achieving “military history” in a “spectacular fashion,” claiming Pakistani jets “silenced India’s guns”.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military spokesman, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, declared the operation a “success on the battlefield,” stating that Pakistan had “re-established deterrence”.
The chest thumping and celebrations for what Islamabad projected as a resounding victory did not last long. In a press briefing on May 12, Indian officials revealed that Indian strikes had hit Rafiqui Airbase in Shorkot, Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, Murid in Chakwal, Rahimyar Khan, Sukkur, and Chunian, as well as radar sites at Pasrur and Sialkot. Subsequently, satellite imagery revealed that Malir Cantonment, located in Karachi, was also hit.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) managed to pound bases in every major Pakistani city, including Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Sialkot, Sargodha, and Karachi. Impressively, these strikes were launched using long-range missiles, without even entering the Pakistani airspace.
Besides this, there is speculation that an Indian strike also hit a nuclear storage facility in Kirana Hills, which allegedly led to a radioactive leak, as recently reported in-depth by the EurAsian Times.
Though Air Marshal A K Bharti, DG Air Operations, denied these claims, Indian military experts said that the IAF was unwilling to admit it had hit a nuclear facility, fearing international condemnation.
At the same time, Pakistan’s claims, such as the destruction of the S-400 at Adampur Air Base, have been debunked as fake news. On May 13, the Indian Prime Minister visited the Adampur Air Base and was photographed with the S-400 in the background.
Pakistan also claimed the downing of five IAF fighter jets, including Rafale. However, it has not been able to furnish any evidence whatsoever, except claims and random, unverified images on social media. So far, the Indian government has not admitted to any shootdowns, despite multiple claims.
Against that backdrop, it is safe to say that both the US and Pakistan are claiming victories despite being overwhelmed.
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