Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, leader of the Yemen's Houthi group, is once again directly challenging the United States by essentially declaring victory over US naval operations in the Red Sea.
At this point US Central Command (CENTCOM) has launched literally hundreds of strikes in various places across Yemen over the last three weeks, especially the capital as well as the key port of Hodeidah. Al-Houthi on Thursday declared that the "US failed to prevent military operations and secure maritime navigation for the Israeli enemy."
"Despite all the escalation, the Americans have failed to stop our missile and drone attacks," he continued. "Failure to support the Palestinian people has serious consequences and emboldens the enemy."
This week was kicked off with yet more Houthi attacks on US warships in the Red Sea, at a moment a second US aircraft carrier is en route toward Mideast waters:
The Iran-backed Houthis aren’t backing down - at least not yet. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said the Iranian-backed terror group targeted US warships and Israel on Wednesday, adding that some of the attacks involved drones.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces [Houthis] have carried out new drone operations, targeting a US warship in the Red Sea and an Israeli military site in Tel Aviv,” Iranian state media said.
More drone and ballistic missile attacks have also been launched directly on Israel of late. There's been no evidence that Houthi attacks have so much as slowed due to the ramped-up US operations since March 15.
Fully stamping out the Houthi movement could prove nearly impossible, especially as currently this is limited to an air war. Even the Atlantic Council has admitted that "The United States’ ability to track al-Houthi is likely hindered by limited intelligence on the ground in Yemen."
"This reality was echoed early last year when the US had difficulty assessing the success of its operations and the group’s full arsenal due to a lack of intelligence," it stated. "Without a reliable presence or informant network, targeting such a well-hidden leader will prove challenging."
Washington has constantly highlighted Iranian support to the Houthis, stretching back a period of years. However, it has also become clear that the Houthis' ability to produce domestic missiles and drones has grown.
While the Houthis can be seen as Iranian proxies, it is also clear Houthi leadership often operates independently, while Tehran has also sought to distance itself from being seen as clashing militarily with US forces off Yemen. The US continues to put Tehran in the spotlight, warning it must make a new nuclear deal, or else.
