Hit the Houthis — and Iran — Where It Counts
Guarding Red Sea traffic isn’t doing the job, so the US must plan for military strikes on land.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Carney is ready to fire.
Photographer: Felix Garza/US Navy/AFP/Getty Images
A series of brazen attacks in the Red Sea and North Arabian Sea by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against merchant shipping and US Navy warships have roiled global shipping lanes. More than 15% of the world’s trade passes through these vast waters, and many of the major shipping companies — Maersk, MSC, Evergreen — have put voyages through them on pause.
These Houthi pirates are trained, equipped, organized and directed by Iran. Unlike the Somali pirates of a decade ago, with their rusty AK-47s, flip-flops and small speedboats, these Houthis have modern helicopters, SEAL-like armament and skills, ground-based missiles, and are clearly operating with significant intelligence support in finding and fixing their targets.