Why the US Navy is ‘dropping to rag tag Middle Eastern rebels’… and it is hitting you within the pocket

The United States delivered punishing airstrikes on Yemen this weekend, attacking positions held by Houthi rebel forces. 

The strikes, which killed at least 53 people and injured hundreds according to the Houthi-run Health Ministry, came as Donald Trump vowed to use ‘overwhelming lethal force’ to stop the Houthis from disrupting global shipping in the Red Sea. 

In a lengthy statement published to his Truth Social platform, Trump warned the Houthis ‘HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!’ if they continue to target Western commercial and military vessels with missiles and drones.

He also ordered Iran, the Houthis’ main backer, to stop supporting the group immediately, declaring: ‘America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!’

But the Houthis immediately struck back, launching missile and drone attacks at the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and forcing US Air Force and Navy jets to scramble to protect the vessel.

The US has long boasted the most powerful armed forces in the world, but so far this military might has been powerless to prevent the Houthis from triggering a global shipping crisis.

In November 2023, the Houthis – one of several groups backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran – began launching missile, drone and naval attacks on Western commercial vessels in the Red Sea in retaliation for Israel‘s bombardment of Gaza. 

The attacks meant that many commercial shipping companies could no longer transit the Suez Canal – a vital maritime passageway splitting Africa and the Middle East that used to carry roughly 30 per cent of world container traffic. 

Instead, ships heading to Western Europe from Asia have been forced to circumnavigate the entire African continent, adding up to two weeks to their time at sea.

The effect of the Houthi attacks has been profound – a survey by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) last year found the price of shipping a container from Asia to Europe had gone up by as much as 300% for some businesses, while IMF shipping data showed the volume of shipping in the Suez Canal has been cut in half. 

Fortunately, the disruption has not yet driven up inflation and consumer costs, World Bank figures show, but experts warn this could soon change if the crisis continues.

On December 18, 2023, the Biden administration launched Operation Prosperity Guardian which saw a coalition of Western militaries – particularly the US, UK, Canada and France – work to intercept Houthi attacks.

It was billed as a united effort to safeguard vital waterways and restore global shipping norms.

But attacks continued and by January 2024 the US and UK decided to begin launching direct airstrikes against Houthi military targets in Yemen, hoping the use of military force would force the rebels into submission.

Now, more than a year later, the operation has failed to secure Red Sea shipping lanes. 

The volume of traffic through the Suez Canal remains roughly 50 per cent lower than pre-November 2023 rates and Western vessels are unable to transit without facing the Houthi threat.

It has been over a year since a US-flagged commercial ship safely sailed through the Suez Canal, the Red Sea, or the Gulf of Aden. 

Meanwhile, the Iran-backed Houthis have struck deals with the likes of Russian and Chinese shipping companies, as well as the operators of Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ of oil tankers, allowing them to proceed safely.

The Houthis enduring ability to disrupt global shipping comes down to the flexibility and low cost of their operations.

The drones used by the Houthis to strike commercial ships and target US Navy vessels are estimated to cost roughly $2,000. More expensive military drones and missiles can increase that figure to the $50,000 mark.

They require no substantial military infrastructure to deploy and can be launched, controlled and piloted by a small and mobile team. 

But each time one of these projectiles is fired, the US is forced to deploy fighter jets or ship-launched missiles to intercept it, the cost of which can range anywhere from several hundred thousand dollars to £2-3 million per shot.

Factoring in the costs of deploying aircraft carriers, other naval vessels and fighter jet squadrons across the world, the cost of deterring the Houthi threat quickly climbs into billions upon billions of dollars. 

Speaking before the Senate in May last year, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment William LaPlante put it simply: ‘If we’re shooting down a $50,000 one-way drone with a $3 million missile, that’s not a good cost equation.’

The cost of military operations against the Houthis has not deterred the Trump administration. 

The airstrikes on Houthi positions this weekend constitute the biggest American military operation in the Middle East since President Trump took office in January. 

One US official told Reuters the campaign might continue for weeks.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told Fox News: ‘The minute the Houthis say we’ll stop shooting at your ships, we’ll stop shooting at your drones. This campaign will end, but until then it will be unrelenting.’

‘This is about stopping the shooting at assets… in that critical waterway, to reopen freedom of navigation, which is a core national interest of the United States, and Iran has been enabling the Houthis for far too long,’ he said. ‘They better back off.’

But Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said yesterday that his militants would target US Navy ships in the Red Sea as long as the US continues its attacks on Yemen. 

‘If they continue their aggression, we will continue the escalation,’ he said in a televised speech.

US warplanes shot down 11 Houthi drones on Sunday, none of which came close to the Truman, military officials said, adding they also tracked a missile that splashed down off the coast of Yemen and was not deemed a threat.

The Houthis had paused their attacks on commercial ships and US naval vessels after Israel and Hamas struck a ceasefire deal earlier this year.

But the group restarted their drone and missile barrages on March 12 after Israel chose to halt the flow of aid into Gaza amid ongoing negotiations.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told CBS News this weekend: ‘There’s no way the Houthis would have the ability to do this kind of thing unless they had support from Iran.’

He said of the American strikes: ‘This was a message to Iran: don’t keep supporting them, because then you will also be responsible for what they are doing in attacking Navy ships and attacking global shipping.’ 

In response, Hossein Salami, the top commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, said the Houthis made their own decisions.

‘We warn our enemies that Iran will respond decisively and destructively if they carry out their threats,’ he told state media.