The Houthis have been running roughshod over the United States and its allies in the Middle East. Washington should respond by unleashing its chief regional pillar, Israel, against the Yemen-based terrorist group.
American deterrence in the Middle East has been collapsing for the past four years, and the Houthis have played a starring role in that sad demise of U.S. credibility. The Houthis have been carrying out attacks on commercial shipping. They have hijacked ships and used both drones and missiles to attack vessels. The assaults have only increased since the start of the war between Israel and other Iranian proxies, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.
In response to the attacks, major shipping companies have had to suspend or reduce their shipping through the Red Sea strait, a major crossing for global commerce. America’s failure to address the Houthi threat violates a long-standing U.S. policy. Since its founding, the U.S. has worked to uphold freedom of navigation in international waters. Indeed, the U.S. Navy was, in large measure, founded to prevent acts of piracy and impressment in the Middle East. By allowing the Houthis to run amok, the U.S. broke with this strong tradition.
The failure to respond has only further eroded U.S. credibility in the region and beyond, signaling to friend and foe alike that Washington is no longer capable, or willing, to keep its commitments. To a large extent, it is a problem of our own making.
In 2021, shortly after taking office, the Biden administration removed the foreign terrorist organization designation from the Houthis, part of a broader effort to appease the group’s sponsor, Iran, and to seek an accommodation with the Islamic Republic over its nuclear weapons program. It failed, and Tehran and its terrorist proxies have only been emboldened.
Worse still, the administration has largely refrained from militarily responding to these groups when they attack America and its allies. The patience of one of those allies, Israel, is wearing thin.
With growing frequency, the Houthis have launched missiles at the Jewish state, inflicting casualties and greatly disrupting everyday life. Indeed, in less than two weeks, the Houthis have perpetrated no fewer than thirteen attacks on Israel, including in the densely populated city of Tel Aviv. Many of these attacks have been intercepted by Israeli air defense, but inevitably, some have managed to get through. For many Israelis, running to bomb shelters has become an everyday occurrence. This is unsustainable, and no other nation would be asked to live under such conditions.
The growing Houthi assault is likely no accident. Israel has decimated Iran’s foremost proxies, Lebanese Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza. In the wake of this development, the Houthis are likely vying for greater support from Tehran by demonstrating their capabilities. Nor are they mistaken in thinking that they may receive more largesse.
For Iran, the Houthis have proven to be a great low-cost investment. The terrorist group has been a thorn in the side of the U.S. while largely refraining from attacking vessels operated by Iran’s allies, China and Russia. Indeed, evidence suggests that both Beijing and Moscow may even be providing limited aid to them.
The U.S. should respond by encouraging, instead of constraining, a military response from Israel. Jerusalem is the region’s preeminent military power, as well as Washington’s chief regional pillar. America should make full use of Israel, treating the country as an asset instead of a possible liability. After all, this is the point of having allies.
Israel has both the means and the motive to carry out decapitation strikes against the Houthis. The U.S. should let them.
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Sean Durns is a Senior Research Analyst for CAMERA, the 65,000-member, Boston-based Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting and Analysis