Houthi militia in Yemen poses a special challenge to the US

When Iranian-backed militias repeatedly attacked U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq this fall, the Biden administration hit back with force. Action was needed, officials said, to stop the groups from turning Israel’s conflict with Hamas into a broader war.

But the United States has yet to retaliate against one Iranian-backed group: Yemen’s Houthis.

In the past month alone, the Houthis have carried out more than 100 attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, paralyzing traffic there.

So why has the United States taken a different approach toward the Houthis? The reasons are numerous.

What does the Gaza conflict have to do with the attacks in the Red Sea?

The Houthis have launched missiles and drones at ships in the Red Sea and seized an Israeli-linked ship during the more than two-month war between Israel and Hamas.

Hamas and the Houthis are both supported by Iran.

A military spokesman for the Houthis, Yahya Sarea, said the attacks would continue “until Israeli aggression against our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip stops.”

The USS Carney, a guided-missile destroyer deployed to the region to deter such attacks, has been busy. One morning last weekend, the ship shot down fourteen attack drones that the Houthis had launched at ships in the Red Sea.

On Monday, the Pentagon said it is creating a multinational naval task force to protect commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The effort, to be known as Operation Prosperity Guardian, will include Britain, Canada, France and Bahrain – the only regional ally to have joined the effort.

While the United States has shot down drones, deployed a ship and created a task force to fight the Houthis, the one thing it has not done is attack the militia in Yemen.

What are the Biden administration’s concerns about hitting the Houthis?

The Biden administration has debated whether to attack the Houthis. The decision has not been made “yet” for a number of reasons.

First, several administration officials said the United States is wary of disrupting a tenuous truce between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis, who have spent most of the past eight years at war. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in airstrikes and fighting, as well as from disease and hunger, since the start of the conflict.

A ceasefire negotiated in 2022 has largely held, even without a formal agreement.

The Biden administration is also deeply concerned that the war in Gaza could escalate into a broader conflict in the region.

Attacking Houthi targets in Yemen – rather than just shooting down attack drones – could quickly escalate into a tit-for-tat between US naval vessels and the group, and could draw Iran even further into the conflict.

Tim Lenderking, the US special envoy to Yemen, recently returned from the region, where he met with partners to discuss maritime security and formalize the ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and Houthi.

“Everyone is looking for a way to de-escalate tensions,” Mr. Lenderking said in an interview. “The idea is not to embroil the region in a broader war, but rather to use the tools at our disposal to encourage the Houthis to reverse their reckless behavior.”

Why has the US been less reluctant to attack militias in Iraq and Syria?

The Pentagon has said it will protect the 2,500 U.S. troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria, who are mainly helping local forces battle the remnants of Islamic State. Dozens were injured in the militia’s recent attacks, including 25 who suffered traumatic brain injuries.

“If Iranian allies’ attacks against U.S. forces continue, we will not hesitate to take further necessary actions to protect our people,” Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III warned in October after U.S. fighter jets attacked two facilities linked to it with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards. and affiliated groups, which the Pentagon blamed for the drone and missile attacks on US troops.

None of the Houthi attacks have resulted in U.S. casualties, an official noted.

But the barrage has disrupted trade and prevented many ships from reaching Israeli ports. Some shipping and oil companies have been scared off and trade diverted, a disruption expected to lead to higher prices for consumers.

So will the Biden administration take off the gloves?

Possibly, if the attacks continue, military analysts said.

“We have a saying in the Navy: ‘You don’t shoot the arrow. You shoot the archer,” said Robert B. Murrett, a retired Navy vice admiral and former naval intelligence officer who served as director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. “I’m sure the targets have been dusted off.”

But, he said, government officials wonder: “If you do that, will it escalate?”