The Houthis’ Asymmetrical Maritime Warfare

US destroyer shoots down Houthi missiles and drones. Photo credit: ABACA via Reuters Connect / Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael J. Lieberknecht.

The war launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023 caught Israel and its defense establishment by surprise, but the same cannot be said of the missile attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Houthi rebel regime in Yemen.  Ever since the Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital San’a in 2014, Israeli analysts have warned that […]

Self-Deterrence Will Not Stop the Houthis or Their Iranian Suppliers

Houthis graduate new tribal recruits in the Bani Hushaish, Yemen, January 22, 2024. Photo credit: REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah.

Self-deterrence is a defense concept that a state may be restrained from using its military power not by the fear of a counter strike but rather owing to reputational concerns arising from moral, legal or other considerations. This concept may partly explain US reluctance to escalate the current level of military conflict with Iran, though […]

Next Steps in the Red Sea: Offense, Not Just Defense

USS Carney (DDG 64) defeats a combination of Houthi missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, October 19, 2023. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy/Cover Images via Reuters Connect.

Recent events in the transit lanes of the Red Sea have underscored the need for international action to restore freedom of navigation for commercial shipping traffic. Attacks on commercial ships by the Iranian proxy Houthi regime in Yemen have become a daily occurrence, not seen since Iran’s attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf from […]