The US strikes on the Houthis are intended to send a message that the Trump administration is not going to repeat the mistakes of the past. However, time will tell if the strikes actually have an impact.
The Houthis have proven a hard nut to crack. This is because they hide their weapons in caves and they have many capabilities that they built up since 2015. They are backed by Iran and they have extended the range of their ballistic missiles and drones. The essence of the Trump doctrine is to do different policies than the previous administration.
This includes a ceasefire in Gaza and a push for a ceasefire in Ukraine. It also can mean increasing strikes on the Houthis and offering Iran a deal. The strikes on the Houthis are a test.
During the last 17 months, the Houthis felt they could attack shipping and attack Israel. They have continued to threaten ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthis’s growing list of targets
The Houthis began their attacks soon after the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023, with attacks on Eilat and southern Israel, and then also hijacked a ship they claimed was linked to a commercial owner in Israel. Then they widened their attacks on commercial shipping.
US fighter jets take off to attack Houthi targets in Yemen, March 15, 2025 (CENTCOM)
Israel initially ignored these attacks because Israel was focused on Gaza. The US stepped in with several allies to begin Operation Prosperity Guardian. This began in December 2023, but it had mixed results.
While the US navy and other navies did help some ships, in the end of the day, the Houthis still attacked at a time and place of their choosing.
Some strikes by the US and other countries did not deter the Houthis. Later, Israel began to strike back after a Houthi drone killed a man in Tel Aviv in July 2024.
Although Israel carried out several waves of attacks over six months, the Houthis did not stop their attacks. In fact, the Houthis increased their attacks in November and December 2024. The attacks only stopped with the Gaza ceasefire on January 17.
The Houthis showed that they could withstand air raids by dozens of Israeli aircraft. Israel used the raids to showcase its long-range strike capabilities – but the strikes also showed the limit of using aircraft and precision munitions. It’s possible that the US will have to learn from this lesson.
The Trump doctrine is clear on the Houthis. He is saying their time is up and their attacks need to stop. He says “hell will rain down.”
However, he also spoke about hell breaking loose if Hamas did not release hostages.
Hamas has continued to hold almost 60 hostages. Iran is also using the strikes to warn Iran.
“To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY! Do NOT threaten the American People, their President, who has received one of the largest mandates in Presidential History, or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!,” Trump said in a post on social media. He accused the Houthis of waging an “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism against American, and other, ships, aircraft, and drones.”
Trump also showcased how he is different from the previous administration. “Joe Biden’s response was pathetically weak, so the unrestrained Houthis just kept going…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.”
Trump did the same thing in his first term, ordering strikes on Syria when Obama had refrained from similar strikes. Trump also ordered the strike that killed IRGC Quds Force head Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
Iran will be watching. The Iranian Supreme Leader has rejected Trump’s openness to a new deal. Now they see that Washington is serious.
The strikes on the Houthis also come as new reports indicate the group continues to work on long range drone technology. Conflict Armament Research (CAR) said that its “field investigators have uncovered evidence that Ansar Allah (‘Houthi’) forces in Yemen are attempting to use hydrogen fuel cells to power their uncrewed systems. If successful, this experimentation would represent a major escalation in Houthi capability, enabling uncrewed vehicles—whether aerial, ground, or maritime—to carry larger payloads and to travel for far longer periods and ranges than conventional power sources allow. To CAR’s awareness, this is the first attempted use of hydrogen fuel in uncrewed systems by any non-state armed actor, globally.”
This is a serious threat. The question is whether the US airstrikes will put an end to the Houthi threats.
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