Red Sea Inferno

Donald Trump’s strikes on Yemen have reminded the Houthis that America’s patience has limits.

For too long, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels have held the Red Sea hostage, attacking commercial ships and military vessels with impunity. With Donald Trump back in the White House, it appears that the days of unchecked Houthi terrorism are over after the US President launched a major military campaign against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, vowing to neutralize their ability to threaten commercial shipping. In response, the Houthis have escalated their attacks, sinking vessels and targeting American warships.

The Houthis, a Zaydi Shia rebel movement backed by Iran, have long been a thorn in the side of regional powers. Emerging from Yemen’s mountainous north, the group seized the capital, Sanaa in 2014, toppling the Saudi-backed government. This triggered a Saudi-led military intervention, backed by the United States, that has since locked Yemen in a brutal and seemingly endless civil war. Over the years, the Houthis have evolved from a ragtag insurgency into a formidable military force, capable of launching ballistic missiles at Riyadh and downing American drones. They have also perfected the art of asymmetric naval warfare, disrupting Red Sea shipping routes with explosive-laden drones and missile attacks.

The latest round of hostilities began in October 2023, when the Houthis started targeting vessels linked to Israel and its allies in a show of solidarity with Hamas during the war in Gaza. For months, American and British warships intercepted Houthi missiles and drones, limiting the damage. But after Israel cut humanitarian aid to Gaza earlier this month, the Houthis vowed to renew their attacks. In response, the United States launched its most extensive airstrikes on Yemen in years, killing at least 53 people, including civilians. Washington insists the strikes will continue until the Houthis cease their maritime aggression.

The Trump administration has framed the escalation as part of its broader strategy to contain Iran, which it accuses of orchestrating the attacks through its proxy network. Trump has vowed to hold Tehran “fully accountable” and reinstated the terrorist designation for the Houthis, reversing a decision by Joe Biden in 2021. Yet Iran, as always, is playing a game of calculated ambiguity. While providing weapons, intelligence and training to the Houthis, it has denied operational control over their actions. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard commander, General Hossein Salami, has dismissed American allegations insisting that the Houthis act independently.

This renewed conflict in the Red Sea comes at a time of broader strategic uncertainty in the region. Trump has renewed his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, imposing fresh sanctions and demanding new nuclear negotiations.

Israel’s war in Gaza, which has inflamed anti-Western sentiment across the Arab world, has provided groups like the Houthis with a justification for their attacks who frame their aggression as a righteous defence of Palestinian rights.

For America, the stakes in the Red Sea are enormous. Nearly 12 percent of global trade, including 30 percent of global container traffic, passes through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The Houthis’ attacks have already driven up shipping costs, forcing vessels to take the longer and costlier route around Africa.

On a historical note, Yemen has been the graveyard of empires. The British failed to control it in the 1960s. The Egyptians suffered a humiliating defeat there in the 1950s and ‘60s. Saudi Arabia’s war effort, backed by American intelligence and weapons, has similarly failed to dislodge the Houthis.

Under the weak leadership of Joe Biden, they escalated their aggression, emboldened by Washington’s reluctance to confront them head-on. Over the past 18 months, the Houthis had launched 174 direct attacks on the U.S. Navy and 145 strikes on commercial ships. They sank two vessels, killing innocent sailors, and disrupted one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Now, by launching decisive airstrikes against the rebels, Trump has reaffirmed that America will not tolerate threats to global trade, military assets, or innocent sailors.