Trump launches military operation against Yemen to weaken Iran and end Red Sea blockade

The United States has launched a military operation against Yemen aimed at eliminating its leadership, forcing an end to the blockade of the Red Sea, and weakening Iran's influence in the region.

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by D. L. "Paul" Farley, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

USS Harry Truman

Trump Announces Military Action Against Yemen

Since January 19, Yemen had ceased attacks on Israeli, American, and British ships in the Red Sea following a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. However, on March 7, the Houthis warned that they would resume strikes since the blockade of Gaza had not been lifted.

"Hell will rain down upon you like nothing you have ever seen before!," said US President Donald Trump as he announced the beginning of a large-scale military operation against Yemen.

On March 15, the US carried out airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas, which make up approximately 70% of Yemen's territory. In advance of the strikes, Washington had officially designated the ruling group in Sana'a, Ansar Allah, as a "terrorist organization.”

The airstrikes primarily targeted the Houthis' ideological and political centers in Sana'a and Sa'ada. Yemen reported casualties-around 50 killed and 100 injured. US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz stated that the attack "targeted several Houthi leaders and eliminated them." The strikes align with Israel's stance, which strongly believes that removing the group's leadership will weaken its ability to operate.

In retaliation, the Houthis twice attacked the US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman in the northern Red Sea, using ballistic and cruise missiles along with drones. They have confirmed their intent to continue such attacks.

Trump's Main Goal: Helping Israel Restrain Iran

While Joe Biden's administration had claimed that the Houthis act independently, Trump justified the airstrikes by arguing that Iran must be held fully accountable for militarily supporting the Houthis. Notably, Washington informed Russia about the military operation through diplomatic channels-an interesting move considering Russia recently signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Iran. Moreover, on March 14, Russia, China, and Iran met in Beijing to discuss the Iranian nuclear issue, which they argue is not a problem.

The US is testing whether Russia will distance itself from its agreement with Iran, which states that neither side will support the other's adversaries in war. It appears Washington has offered Moscow incentives to pressure Tehran on the Houthi issue-possibly in exchange for concessions on Ukraine. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has opposed military action against Yemen.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded on March 16 via a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that the US "has no authority or right to dictate Iran's foreign policy."

Can Houthis Be Defeated?

Some believe the timing of the attack on Yemen is strategic, coming after Israel's perceived victories against Hezbollah and Hamas. However, the Houthis successfully fought off a Saudi-led coalition backed by the US and UK a decade ago, and they previously waged six wars against Yemen's Saudi-aligned government from 2004 to 2010. Guerilla warfare is nothing new for them, and attacking ships off the Yemeni coast does not require advanced weaponry.

Trump aims to resolve the issue through airstrikes alone, avoiding the deployment of ground troops. However, history shows that wars cannot be won by airstrikes alone – boots on the ground are necessary. So far, there are no indications of any country, including the US, being willing to send ground forces.

On a broader level, the Houthis' fight against Israel and the US reflects widespread anger across the Muslim world over what is seen as an unjust war in Gaza. This allows Yemen to secure arms supplies from various sources, including Iran, and maintain domestic weapons production despite the blockade.

As a result, a large-scale US air operation is unlikely to bring peace to the region. Instead, it risks escalating tensions with Iran and driving up logistics and insurance costs for goods transported through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal.

Details

Yemen officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to the north, Oman to the northeast, the south-easten part of the Arabian Sea to the east, the Gulf of Aden to the south, and the Red Sea to the west, sharing maritime borders with Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia across the Horn of Africa. Covering roughly 455,503 square kilometres (175,871 square miles), with a coastline of approximately 2,000 kilometres (1,200 miles), Yemen is the second largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. Sanaa is its constitutional capital and largest city. Yemen's estimated population is 34.7 million, mostly Arab Muslims. It is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

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The Houthis, also known as the Houthi movement and officially the Ansar Allah, is a Zaydi Shia Islamist political and military organization that emerged from Yemen in the 1990s. It is predominantly made up of Zaydi Shias, with their namesake leadership being drawn largely from the Houthi tribe. The group has been a central player in Yemen's civil war, drawing widespread international condemnation for its human rights abuses, including targeting civilians and using child soldiers. The movement is designated as a terrorist organization by some countries. The Houthis are backed by Iran, and they are widely considered part of the Iranian-led "Axis of Resistance". Under the leadership of Zaydi religious leader Hussein al-Houthi, the Houthis emerged as an opposition movement to Yemen president Ali Abdullah Saleh, whom they accused of corruption and being backed by Saudi Arabia and the United States. In 2003, influenced by the Lebanese Shia political and military organization Hezbollah, the Houthis adopted their official slogan against the United States, Israel, and the Jews. Al-Houthi resisted Saleh's order for his arrest, and was afterwards killed by the Yemeni military in Saada in 2004, sparking the Houthi insurgency. Since then, the movement has been mostly led by his brother Abdul-Malik al-Houthi.