The Triumph of the Houthis (and Iran)
The U.S. told Israel it would deter the terrorists in Yemen. It has failed.
By The Editorial Board
Fire and smoke rising following Israeli airstrikes in the port city of Hodeidah, Yemen on Saturday. PHOTO: HOUTHIS MEDIA CENTER/HANDOUT/SHUTTERSTOCKThe bombing exchange between the Houthis of Yemen and Israel over the weekend isn’t merely another military escalation in the Middle East.
It represents the failure of the Biden Administration’s policy of appeasement to contain the Iran-backed Houthis as they terrorize commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Israel and the U.S. Navy.
Israel bombed the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, including oil and gas depots, a power station, and cranes used in Houthi military operations.
This was retaliation after a Houthi drone evaded Israeli air defenses Friday and landed in Tel Aviv near the U.S. Consulate, which may have been the target.
One Israeli civilian died and 10 were wounded. What if the drone had killed Americans?
The Houthis have attacked Israel from Yemen more than 200 times since Oct. 7, though Israel’s defenses have managed to intercept most drones and missiles.
The terror group is boasting that its drones, supplied by Iran, are becoming sophisticated enough to make it past Israeli radar and interceptors.
The Biden Administration told Israel nine months ago that the U.S. would handle the Houthi threat and it should stick to playing defense.
But the attack on Tel Aviv shows that the U.S. effort is a bust.
The Houthis have all but shut down Western shipping in the Red Sea, at enormous cost to global businesses and consumers.
They continue to attack U.S. naval vessels, which have been forced to play a high-stakes game of catch the drones and missiles.
That one or more haven’t killed sailors and damaged ships is a tribute to U.S. naval training and technology.
But sooner or later one might get through and result in American casualties.
Why won’t Mr. Biden and the Administration’s Commander-in-Chief-by-committee do more?
For the same reason they’ve responded so tepidly to other attacks by Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq and Syria.
They know Iran is the Houthis’ supplier and terror master, and that the U.S. would have to hurt Iran militarily to make enough of a deterrent impression.
That would probably mean sinking much of Iran’s navy.
Mr. Biden and his political advisers are afraid such a U.S. response would lead to Iranian escalation and more fighting before the U.S. election.
If history is a guide, it’s more likely that Iran would talk tough but back off—as it did after Donald Trump ordered the killing of Iranian terror chief Qassem Soleimani in 2020, and after Israel bombed an air-defense radar inside Iran following Tehran’s April attack on Israel.
The White House is hoping a cease-fire in Gaza will cause the Houthis to cease and desist.
But the Houthis and Iran have learned they can terrorize and kill Israelis and Americans at little cost.
Even if they stop for a time, they can resume the shooting any time they wish.
The Houthis and their Iranian sponsors are winning their showdown with the West, and the result is likely to be more American and Israeli casualties in the future.
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