Why the US is striking the Houthis in Yemen

For more than two decades, American troops and military assets have operated under constant threat from terrorist organizations and violent non-state actors. In recent months, however, one of these groups has escalated its attacks in a way that threatens not only American lives and interests, but also the global economy.

The U.S. is now striking Houthi targets in Yemen for a clear and necessary reason: to defend international freedom of navigation, protect American military personnel and respond to direct aggression from a designated terrorist organization.

The Houthi movement, formally known as Ansar Allah, is a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization with strong ideological and operational ties to Iran. While originally a Yemeni rebel group engaged in a brutal civil war, the Houthis have evolved into a regional proxy force, operating advanced missile and drone capabilities provided by Iran. They are no longer simply a local militia. They are a regional actor engaged in offensive operations across borders — against Israel, against civilian shipping and against the U.S.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. These waters, among the busiest and most strategically vital maritime corridors in the world, serve as a key artery for global commerce. Roughly 12 percent to 15 percent of global trade passes through the Red Sea via the Suez Canal.

The Houthis’ missile and drone attacks have forced major shipping companies to reroute vessels around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope. This detour adds an average of 10 to 14 days of transit time, significantly increasing fuel costs and disrupting just-in-time supply chains.

The economic toll is already staggering. Diverting a single large container ship around the Cape of Good Hope can add over $1 million in fuel costs per trip, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. Insurance premiums for vessels transiting the Red Sea have increased tenfold, adding up to $1 million in overhead per voyage for high-value vessels.

Shipping analysts estimate the cumulative cost to global trade has likely surpassed $10 billion. These costs — from rerouting, fuel and insurance to delays and congestion — are already rippling through supply chains and consumer prices. This is not a distant crisis, but one that touches nearly every economy on the planet.

And these are not symbolic attacks. From November 2023 through January 2024, the Houthis launched missile and drone strikes against more than 100 merchant vessels, sinking two ships and killing four sailors. The Houthis have directly struck civilian cargo ships flagged by multiple nations, damaged vessels with anti-ship ballistic missiles, and even attempted to board commercial tankers. 

This is economic warfare — an effort to strangle international trade and pressure the West under the guise of solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. It is not just a threat to Israel or the United States, but to the global commons.

And the threat isn’t confined to the sea. The Houthis have launched long-range missile and drone attacks directly at Israel — our strongest and most vital ally in the Middle East. In March 2025 alone, they fired multiple ballistic missiles toward Israel, with two intercepted on March 27 before entering Israeli territory.

On Oct. 31, 2023, the Houthis fired a barrage of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel. One of those missiles was intercepted just miles from Eilat, a southern Israeli port city. More disturbingly, U.S. officials confirmed that a Houthi-launched drone that same week passed over the Red Sea and came dangerously close to hitting an U.S. Embassy office in Tel Aviv.​

The Houthis have also repeatedly attacked U.S. Navy ships operating in international waters. Since December 2023, they have targeted American warships more than 170 times with drones, cruise missiles, and anti-ship ballistic missiles. The USS Gravely, USS Carney and USS Laboon — all guided-missile destroyers — have successfully intercepted waves of incoming projectiles, at times using dozens of missiles in coordinated defenses.

The level of sophistication in these attacks — simultaneous multi-axis threats combining drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles — is a testament not just to Iranian support, but to the serious intent behind it. These are not warning shots. They are attempted kills.

In response, the U.S. and its allies have launched precision strikes on Houthi radar sites, missile storage facilities and drone launch platforms inside Yemen. The goal is deterrence through degradation — destroying the capabilities the Houthis are using to destabilize an entire region. These operations are lawful under international norms of self-defense and consistent with the U.S. military’s obligation to protect its personnel, allies and the freedom of the seas.

Critics will argue that these strikes risk widening the conflict in the Middle East. That is a legitimate concern, since no one wants a broader war. But inaction is not a strategy. Allowing a terrorist organization to choke off international shipping, target U.S. forces with impunity, and strike at the heart of our ally Israel is not sustainable. Deterrence only works when there are consequences for aggression. And so far, the Houthis have faced few consequences.

The U.S. military has shown tremendous restraint — often intercepting incoming threats without immediately retaliating. But that calculus is changing, and rightfully so. Continued inaction would only embolden the Houthis and their Iranian backers. Strategic patience must be paired with credible force, especially when dealing with actors who don’t play by the rules of the international order.

The strikes in Yemen are not about starting another endless war. They are about upholding basic principles: the safety of international shipping lanes, the protection of American service members and the defense of our allies. If we do not act against the Houthis now, we signal to every other violent non-state actor that the U.S. is unwilling or unable to defend its interests. That’s a message we cannot afford to send.

John Spencer is chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute at West Point, codirector of its Urban Warfare Project and host of the "Urban Warfare Project Podcast." He served for 25 years as an infantry soldier, which included two combat tours in Iraq. He is the author of the book “Connected Soldiers: Life, Leadership, and Social Connection in Modern War” and co-author of “Understanding Urban Warfare.”