Pentagon says nearly 100 US troops injured in last two weeks, as Hegseth to face senators

Houthi police officers patrol at a rally held in solidarity with Palestinians and Iran, amid the Iran-Israel conflict, in Sanaa, Yemen, on June 20.

The Iran-backed Houthi group in Yemen has declared its own maritime blockade on Saudi shipping, an escalation that could reignite yet another regional conflict and threaten global oil supplies.

The militant group announced yesterday that it was imposing “a maritime embargo against the criminal Saudi enemy, based on the equation of an ‘eye for an eye,’ effective immediately.”

Here’s what to know about the Houthis:

Who they are

The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah (Supporters of God), is one side of the Yemeni civil war. It emerged in the 1990s, when its leader, Hussein al-Houthi, launched “Believing Youth,” a religious revival movement for a centuries-old subsect of Shia Islam called Zaidism.

The Zaidis ruled Yemen for centuries but were marginalized under the Sunni regime that came to power after the 1962 civil war. Al-Houthi’s movement was founded to represent Zaidis and resist radical Sunnism, particularly Wahhabi ideas from Saudi Arabia. His closest followers became known as Houthis.

Yemen’s civil war began in 2014, when Houthi forces stormed the capital Sanaa and toppled the internationally recognized and Saudi-backed government. The conflict spiraled into a wider war in 2015 when a Saudi-led coalition intervened in an attempt to beat back the Houthis.

A ceasefire was signed in 2022, but it lapsed just after six months.

Houthis’ allies

The Houthis are backed by Iran, which began increasing its aid to the group in 2014 as the civil war escalated and as its rivalry with Saudi Arabia intensified. Iran has provided the group with weapons and technology for, among other things, sea mines, ballistic and cruise missiles, and unmanned aerial vehicles, according to a 2021 report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Houthis form part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” - an anti-Israel and anti-Western alliance of regional militias backed by the Islamic Republic.

How powerful is the group?

American officials have been tracking iterative improvements in the range, accuracy and lethality of the Houthis’ domestically produced missiles. Initially, home-grown Houthi weapons were largely assembled with Iranian components smuggled into Yemen in pieces, an official familiar with US intelligence told CNN previously.

They have previously used drones and anti-ship missiles to target commercial ships – some of which aren’t believed to be linked to Israel – prompting the USS Carney, a warship in the Red Sea, to respond to distress calls.

CNN’s Mostafa Salem contributed to this reporting.

On the sidelines of the conflict between the US and Iran, Israel is watching as economic pressure builds on Iran while preparing for the possibility of further escalation, according to three Israeli sources.

Israel has not been directly involved in fighting with Iran since a 24-hour exchange of fire in early-June. The sources said that Washington has not asked Israel to join the campaign against Iran. But if US President Donald Trump were to decide to significantly expand the strikes and call on Israel to join, one of the sources said, “We will be ready.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) are on high alert, but the source said that Israel is content with a continuation of the status quo: staying on the sidelines while the US and Iran continue to exchange blows and remain far from a nuclear deal, as economic pressure on Tehran continues building.

“At the moment, Israel has no interest in joining the campaign,” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who participated in the security consultation, said Tuesday. Speaking at a conference, Smotrich said the limited confrontation between Iran and the US serves Israeli interests as it increases pressure on the Iranian regime. “The best way to bring about the regime’s downfall is to crush it economically,” Smotrich said.

Read the full report here.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attends a meeting at the Pentagon on July 14.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to testify this afternoon before a key Senate panel, at a time when the Trump administration has been lobbying members of Congress for tens of billions of dollars to fund the ongoing war with Iran.

CNN reported Monday that Pentagon officials have been pushing members of Congress for additional money for the conflict, which has stretched on for nearly five months. Despite concerns among some in Congress that the military’s munitions and funding have been depleted, several GOP members told CNN they still lack critical information about the military’s capacity and needs.

At a public hearing to consider the supplemental funding request, Hegseth could also face questions from lawmakers about the latest reporting this week that the Pentagon has been slow to disclose injuries to US troops during the ongoing war. CNN reported Monday that US Central Command has not been regularly disclosing non-fatal attacks in recent months, leaving the totals to a military website, which has shown delays in updates.

The Pentagon’s top spokesperson, Sean Parnell, said Monday afternoon in a post on X that “nearly 100 service members” have been injured since July 7. Most of the injuries are “minor concussions,” he said.

Three service members were killed over weekend, marking the first American casualties resulting from Iranian strikes since March.

The hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, which will also feature chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. ET.

CNN’s Lauren Fox, Sarah Ferris and Davis Winkie contributed to this report.

Lebanese soldiers stand beside an armored personnel carrier in the village of Ghandouriyeh, southern Lebanon, after Israeli forces withdrew from the area on Tuesday.

President Donald Trump is set to meet Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the White House on Tuesday as Israel began partially withdrawing forces from southern Lebanon under the US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Aoun will be the first Lebanese president to visit the White House since 2009. His visit comes after the US-brokered a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon that is ultimately intended to end the fighting in southern Lebanon and slowly transfer control of the territory from Israel to the Lebanese military. Israel has been in conflict with Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, since early-March.

The first stage of the deal requires Israel to withdraw from several “pilot zones” near the so-called “Yellow Line,” which demarcates the area occupied by the Israeli military. On Monday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they had transferred authority of three villages in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese military.

Trump has been pushing what would be a landmark meeting between Aoun and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But Aoun has declined to take part in such a meeting until there is a broader withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. On Monday, an Israeli military official said the IDF would still operate “to remove threats” in southern Lebanon.

Fresh US attacks on Iran targeted “military command centers, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems,” according to US Central Command.

Explosions were heard in areas across southern Iran, according to the country’s state media.

Here’s what else has been happening:

CNN’s Clay Voytek, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Jomana Karadsheh, Aditi Sangal, Aida Karimi, Tim Lister and Helen Regan contributed to this reporting.

Jordan’s armed forces say air defense systems intercepted and shot down three Iranian missiles targeting the kingdom on Tuesday.

A statement quoted a military source as saying the interceptions resulted in no casualties or material damage.

Jordanian territory has come under attack by Iranian drones and missiles almost daily since the conflict between Iran and the United States flared up again nearly two weeks ago.

There are large-scale deployments of US military aircraft in Jordan.

On Friday, two US service members were killed in Jordan in Iranian missile attacks on the country.

A heavily-damaged bridge which was hit by a US strike is pictured along the road connecting Roudan and Bandar Abbas in southern Iran on Saturday.

The ceasefire between the US and Iran is in tatters, with the conflict between the two sides intensifying this past week.

Tehran and Washington agreed to a memorandum of understanding (MoU) last month.

Here’s what has happened since the beginning of July:

CNN’s Mohammed Tawfeeq, Zachary Cohen, Jessie Yeung, Kevin Liptak, Sophie Tanno, Casey Gannon, Julia Benbrook, Hira Humayun, Pamela Brown, Lex Harvey, Davis Winkie, Isaac Yee, Clay Voytek, Betsy Klein, Alejandra Jaramillo, Aida Karimi, Lauren Kent, Jennifer Hansler, Rhea Mogul, Dalia Abdelwahab, Aleena Fayaz, Aileen Graef, Kathleen Magramo, Billy Stockwell, Helen Regan, Kareem El Damanhoury, Hanna Park, Ibrahim Dahman, Sana Noor Haq, Xiaoqian Lin, Mostafa Salem, Eyad Kourdi, Adam Pourahmadi, Tim Lister, Chris Lau and Piper Hudspeth Blackburn contributed to this reporting.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivers a speech during the 'Leader of Resistance: Imam Khomeini International Conference' in Tehran, Iran, on July 4.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that the country is “engaged in a full-scale war” that extends to Iran’s economy.

Pezeshkian was speaking Monday at a meeting of Iran’s Supreme Judicial Council.

“The reality is that today the Islamic Republic of Iran is engaged in a full-scale war,” he said, according to state news agency IRNA.

“Today’s war is not merely a war of missiles; the enemy has concluded that it cannot force the Iranian people to surrender through military attacks.”

“The economy and the livelihoods of the people are the most important arena of confrontation with the enemy,” Pezeshkian was quoted as saying.

The Iranian president has frequently warned of the economic and social consequences of the conflict with the United States.

“It is unacceptable for us to live in a society where people are struggling with livelihood problems, unemployment, poverty and hardship,” Pezeshkian said.

“If economic pressures produce social discontent and that discontent spreads, the enormous social capital created by the people in support of the system may be damaged.”

In a meeting with media executives last month, Pezeshkian said preserving national unity and cohesion is Iran’s top priority under current circumstances.

Since then, the US has resumed its blockade of Iranian ports and bombed critical infrastructure such as roads, railways, bridges and tunnels.

Iran’s unemployment has worsened since the conflict began, and its currency has hit new lows. In June, the annual inflation rate stood at 88%, according to official data.

Throughout its war with the US, Iran’s counteroffensive has largely been directed at the oil-rich Arab countries that border the Persian Gulf.

Iran has repeatedly targeted US assets and energy infrastructure in all six states that make up the Gulf Cooperation Council: Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

It’s come at great cost: the price tag for the oil refineries, power plants and other energy facilities damaged in the war could hit $58 billion, according to an April estimate from Rystad Energy, which doesn’t take into account the latest bout of fighting. This week, a key power and desalination plant in Kuwait was struck twice in two days.

More broadly, Iran’s attacks have also punctured confidence and security in the Gulf, disrupting tourism and air travel in a key global transport node, and prompting some expats to flee.

But while Gulf leaders have strongly condemned Iran’s attacks on their territory, they’ve stopped short of a military response.

That’s because, despite the mounting costs of the war, “further escalation with Iran would impose costs that these governments are unwilling to bear,” Hesham Sallam, senior research scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law told CNN.

The Gulf states know that if they intervene, they will only prolong the war, said Ian Parmeter, Middle East expert and former Australian ambassador to Lebanon.

Unlike the US, which is thousands of miles away from Iran, the Gulf states “are very much aware that whatever happens in their future, they’re going to have Iran as a neighbor,” Parmeter told CNN.

“They’re going to have to live with Iran.”

Southeast Asian countries have expressed “serious concerns” about the renewed hostilities between the US and Iran, as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz again risks the region’s energy security.

Countries in Asia have been the hardest hit by Iran’s effective closure of the strait, a critical route for about 60% of the region’s energy supply.

Earlier this year, the energy-starved nations resorted to extreme measures to keep their economies afloat, with the Philippines even declaring a national emergency.

Iran’s choking of the waterway has led to shortages across Southeast Asia of petroleum products used to make fertilizers and plastic items, chemical products and the liquefied gas that many households use for cooking, the International Energy Agency said last month. Fuel prices also spiked across the region.

The renewed fighting between the US and Iran will have “further implications” for the region’s trade, energy, and food security, the ASEAN foreign ministers said on Tuesday. Of particular concern is the stability of agricultural supply chains and fertilizers, according to the statement.