Although the U.S. has declared its intent to eliminate the Houthis, it faces significant obstacles due to the group's military capabilities and strategic geographical advantages.
On March 19, President Donald Trump stated that the Houthis had suffered heavy losses from intense U.S. airstrikes. He asserted, “This is not even a fair fight. The Houthis will be completely wiped out.”
However, in reality, the group remains resilient and continues to retaliate. Within 72 hours, the Houthis launched four attacks on the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and its escort fleet in the Red Sea.
Moreover, U.S. airstrikes have resulted in at least 53 civilian deaths, including children, on the first day alone, further increasing local support for the Houthis. According to Elisabeth Kendall, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, “Their fighters are incredibly tenacious.”
The Rise of the Houthis and Challenges for the U.S.
Originally a Shiite armed movement in Yemen, the Houthis emerged in the early 2000s to oppose former President Ali Abdullah Saleh. In 2014, they seized the capital, Sanaa, overthrowing the internationally recognized government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, prompting a Saudi-led coalition intervention in 2015.
Since then, over 25,000 airstrikes have been carried out against the Houthis, yet the group still controls large parts of Yemen and has inflicted heavy damage on the coalition.
After the Israel-Hamas conflict erupted in October 2023, the Houthis began targeting cargo and military ships linked to the U.S. and Israel in the Red Sea. By January 2024, they had attacked more than 100 vessels, sinking two and causing casualties.
Formidable Military Capabilities
The Houthis receive significant external support, particularly from Iran and Hezbollah. According to the United Nations, the group expanded its forces from 220,000 fighters in 2022 to 350,000 by mid-2024.
Their arsenal includes ballistic missiles and attack drones with a range exceeding 2,000 km. On December 21, 2024, the Houthis claimed to have launched a hypersonic Palestine-2 missile at Tel Aviv, penetrating Israel’s multi-layered air defense system.
Alex Plitsas, an analyst at the Atlantic Council, noted that locating and destroying Houthi weaponry is extremely difficult due to their strategic dispersal across Yemen’s rugged terrain.
U.S. Faces Limited Intervention Options
While the U.S. has intensified sanctions and airstrikes against the Houthis and their allies, eliminating the group remains a daunting challenge. Yemen is more than 500 times the size of Gaza and 20 times larger than Lebanon, making a ground intervention nearly impossible.
According to expert Maged al-Madhaji, the most effective strategy to weaken the Houthis is to cut off their financial and military supply lines in the Red Sea. However, as Fabian Hinz from the IISS warns, “Aerial bombardment alone will not pose an existential threat to the Houthis.”
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