White House Says Houthis' Top Missile Expert Killed in US Strikes

But US military declines to confirm the death, and identity of person is unclear

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WASHINGTON - The White House has said that US strikes in Yemen in March killed the Houthis' top missile expert, but the US military has so far declined to confirm the death, and the identity of the Houthi commander in question is unclear.

National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, in public remarks to CBS News on the weekend after the March 15 strikes, said the first wave killed "their head missileer".

Mr. Waltz also touted the killing in a secret text chat, disclosed publicly by The Atlantic last week, saying: "The first target — their top missile guy — we had positive ID of him walking into his girlfriend's building and it's now collapsed."

US officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have told Reuters that they were unaware of any independent US military confirmation that such a person had been killed.

It is unusual for the Pentagon to not confirm a White House announcement about a military operation. Typically, the military publicly reveals details about high-value targets within days of a successful mission.

Asked for confirmation that the top Houthi missile expert was killed in an American strike, the White House referred Reuters to the US military.