Excerpts from article:
Only the Houthis, once dismissed as a barely relevant sideshow, remain fully engaged, with high capacities, and determined to continue the fight. They are the only Iran-aligned force not to have suffered serious setbacks since launching their campaign. They are also the sole member of the pro-Iran axis to have directed its attacks not at Israel alone but also at Western targets.
It has been a year since a US-flagged ship has passed through the Suez Canal. The Trump administration, contrary to its preference for deals to end acts of aggression elsewhere, appears determined to force the Houthis to end their campaign, and appears willing to back up threats with force. At the commencement of the offensive in March, Trump warned the Yemeni Shia Islamists that if the attacks on shipping did not stop, “hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”
Here, the US faces a dilemma similar to that which Israel faced vis-à-vis Hamas in Gaza. In both cases, the Islamist enemy is largely indifferent to losses of life among its own people, and unlikely to even be inclined to change direction as a result of losses among its own personnel or of its own equipment.
At this point, the US faces options regarding the Houthis similar to those that Israel faced regarding Gaza – namely, escalate or effectively concede. Either a decision must be taken to destroy or severely degrade the enemy, or it must be accepted that the Houthis, while they can be engaged in a tit-for-tat exchange of fire in which they pay the higher cost, cannot at present be defeated.
It is against this background that the recent reports of a possible ground offensive against the Houthis by Yemeni government and allied troops should be understood.
Complete Article
m.jpost.com
Only the Houthis, once dismissed as a barely relevant sideshow, remain fully engaged, with high capacities, and determined to continue the fight. They are the only Iran-aligned force not to have suffered serious setbacks since launching their campaign. They are also the sole member of the pro-Iran axis to have directed its attacks not at Israel alone but also at Western targets.
It has been a year since a US-flagged ship has passed through the Suez Canal. The Trump administration, contrary to its preference for deals to end acts of aggression elsewhere, appears determined to force the Houthis to end their campaign, and appears willing to back up threats with force. At the commencement of the offensive in March, Trump warned the Yemeni Shia Islamists that if the attacks on shipping did not stop, “hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before.”
The US are uneasy over the Houthis' growing influence
US concerns regarding the Houthis go beyond the immediate Yemeni context. Over the last six months, evidence has emerged of a growing connection between Ansar Allah and the al-Shabaab organization in Somalia. A February UN report noted that personnel of the two movements met in Somalia in July and September 2024.Here, the US faces a dilemma similar to that which Israel faced vis-à-vis Hamas in Gaza. In both cases, the Islamist enemy is largely indifferent to losses of life among its own people, and unlikely to even be inclined to change direction as a result of losses among its own personnel or of its own equipment.
At this point, the US faces options regarding the Houthis similar to those that Israel faced regarding Gaza – namely, escalate or effectively concede. Either a decision must be taken to destroy or severely degrade the enemy, or it must be accepted that the Houthis, while they can be engaged in a tit-for-tat exchange of fire in which they pay the higher cost, cannot at present be defeated.
It is against this background that the recent reports of a possible ground offensive against the Houthis by Yemeni government and allied troops should be understood.
Complete Article
Escalate or concede defeat? US faces dilemma over Houthis in Yemen
BEHIND THE LINES | The Houthis are the only Iran-aligned force to have directed its attacks not at Israel alone but also at Western targets, including international shipping.
m.jpost.com
