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Bloomberg

The US and its allies are considering possible military strikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen, in a recognition that a newly announced maritime task force meant to protect commercial ships in the Red Sea may not be enough to eliminate the threat to the vital waterway.
Planning is under way for actions intended to cripple the Houthis’ ability to target commercial ships by hitting the militant group at the source, according to four people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing internal deliberations.
They underscored that the US still wants diplomacy to work and hasn’t decided to go ahead.
Even so, one of the people said the Pentagon is preparing to offer US President Joe Biden the possibility of what was described as a “heavy” response to the Iran-backed militants.




Asked Tuesday about possible military action, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said he wouldn’t “telegraph any punches one way or the other”.
The quickening discussions reflect a belief that the US and allies may need to do more to protect commercial trade passing through the Red Sea after a wave of Houthi attacks prompted a number of major companies to reroute their vessels around the southern tip of Africa, a lengthier and thus costlier journey.
‘Price are soaring’: Red Sea attacks push up China-Europe container rates
The multinational task force announced on Monday would expand current US efforts in the Red Sea, which have focused on shooting down incoming missiles and drones when possible and coming to the aid of ships that are hit.
Strikes on the Houthis in Yemen, where they are based, would be fraught with risks. Among the biggest: the potential for a broader regional conflict – exactly the outcome the Biden administration has sought to avoid after Israel launched its ground campaign against Hamas fighters in the Gaza Strip in response to the group’s October 7 attack in southern Israel.
US allies in the region are also wary. Saudi Arabia, which borders Yemen, backs a more measured, diplomatic approach to the rebels because it fears it would become a target of renewed aggression from the Houthis, as the kingdom was before a truce in Yemen’s civil war in early 2022, Bloomberg News has reported.
“The hard thing is, nobody wants to get involved in an open-ended war in the Middle East,” said Jon Alterman, a senior vice-president at the Centre for International and Strategic Studies. “But how do you know that the Houthis wouldn’t welcome being in an open-ended war with the United States, because that’s a pretty prestigious adversary to consistently frustrate?”
Attacks would also bring the US closer to confrontation with Iran, which US Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer said recently is providing “significant” military and intelligence support to the Houthis.
The Biden administration has “not ruled out the possibility of taking military action” against the Houthis but is focused for now on assembling a maritime coalition to secure the Red Sea, Finer said in a speech in Washington on December 7. The Pentagon didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.




The multinational task force was announced by US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday in the effort to help protect ships travelling through the Red Sea. Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, rejected Tuesday the notion that it won’t deter the Houthis.
“There’s going to be a whole lot of hardware in the Red Sea now, naval hardware, not just from the United States” but “other ships from other nations to counter these threats,” he said. “So let’s see where it goes.”
Although the new task force offers a show of unity – symbolised by its designation as Operation Prosperity Guardian – pressure is mounting on the Biden administration to do more. According to one of the people, the US needs to send a clear message that threats to freedom of navigation can’t be tolerated.
“The Houthis have rightly gauged Biden administration risk tolerance, which is very low,” said Kori Schake, director of foreign and defence policy at the American Enterprise Institute. “This is one more example of the US moving troops around to signal commitment when we’re actually not committed.”
‘Fragile’ Saudi peace efforts hamper US response to Houthi attacks in Red Sea
But the threat of spurring a wider conflict remains, including for Saudi Arabia, which had US military aid in its efforts to defeat the Houthis in Yemen’s civil war. In 2019, the militants claimed a drone and missile attack that briefly knocked out half the kingdom’s oil production.
On Thursday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.

The Saudi readout of the call focused on the war in Gaza, but the US summary also emphasised the Houthi threat. It said Blinken “condemned continued attacks by the Houthis on commercial vessels operating in international waters in the southern Red Sea and urged cooperation among all partners to uphold maritime security”.
Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, called for more aggressive US action Monday. “What exactly would a task force accomplish?” he said in a statement. “The continuing threat posed to American sailors and freedom of navigation could soon lead to a catastrophe unless the Biden administration acts with the resolve that it has so far sorely lacked.”


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Middle East

Red Sea attacks: US weighs striking Houthi rebels in Yemen

Last month, Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel, the Galaxy Leader, and its 25 crew. Photo: Houthi Military Media via Reuters

Last month, Houthis seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel, the Galaxy Leader (pictured), and its 25 crew. Photo: Reuters

The USS Carney firing at Houthi missiles and drones in the Red Sea on October 19. File photo: US Navy

Red Sea attacks send China-Europe container shipping rates soaring, push firms to skip Suez Canal

Houthi militants have stepped up their involvement in Israel-Gaza war, targeting vessels navigating the Red Sea and warning of attacks on all Israel-bound ships. Photo: Reuters

Major freight firms have suspended transits through Egypt’s Suez Canal, according to media reports. Photo: Shutterstock Images

US announces 10-nation task force to counter Red Sea attacks amid Israel-Gaza war

A Houthi forces helicopter approaching the Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea in November. Photo: Houthi Media Centre via AP


Britain’s HMS Diamond launching a missile at a drone over the Red Sea. Photo: UK Ministry of Defence via AP

‘Fragile’ Saudi peace efforts in Yemen hamper US response to Houthi attacks amid Israel-Gaza war

A Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship that was seized by the group on December 5. Photo: EPA-EFE 

Yemenis protest in solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Sanaa. Saudi Arabia and leaders of Yemen’s Houthi movement recently agreed to the terms of a peace agreement after 18 months of negotiations. Photo: EPA-EFE

Yemenis watch a televised statement by Houthis military spokesman Yahya Saree. Photo: EPA-EFE

An armed Houthi fighter walks through the beach with the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the background, seized by the Houthis offshore of the Al-Salif port on the Red Sea. Photo: EPA-EFE

A Houthi fighter keeps watch on the deck of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship. Photo: EPA-EFE

News

World

Question is whether to hit Iran-allied Houthi militant group in its base in Yemen
Saudis are among those worried about provoking a broader regional conflict


Planning is under way for actions intended to cripple the Houthis’ ability to target commercial ships in the Red Sea by hitting the militant group in Yemen, US sources say.


Red Sea attacks: US weighs striking Houthi rebels in Yemen

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Question is whether to hit Iran-allied Houthi militant group in its base in Yemen Saudis are among those worried about provoking a broader regional conflict

Question is whether to hit Iran-allied Houthi militant group in its base in Yemen

Saudis are among those worried about provoking a broader regional conflict