Key PointsHouthi attacks on shipping in the Bab el-Mandeb and Red Sea represent both an immediate threat to vital American interests in free trade and global commerce and a more general threat to American allies and interests in the Middle East. American air and missile strikes have somewhat diminished the frequency and lethality of Houthi attacks but appear unlikely to end the attacks altogether. Washington warned, punished, and warned the Houthis again against drone and missile attacks on vessels transiting the Red Sea. Since by all appearances the joint US-UK strikes on Houthi sites seem unlikely to stop the Houthi attacks, Washington will have to do more and better. Operation Prosperity Guardian, the multinational maritime task force announced on December 18 in response to the Houthi threat, seeks to protect ships from attacks by increasing the pres­ence of naval assets in the waterway to better aid and defend commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea.

Source: The Guardian February 23, 2024 05:40 UTC