By Al-Fassel | 2025-01-25

The United States has intensified operations to deter and degrade the Houthis' ability to stage attacks, conducting multiple precision strikes against strategic targets in Yemen while positioning substantial naval power in the region.

The US operations are concurrent with a broader international effort to prevent the Iran-backed group's attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.

US fighter jets struck underground facilities storing advanced conventional weapons on January 8, continuing a campaign that began in late December with attacks on Houthi command-and-control facilities and weapons storage sites.

The United States has fortified its presence in the region with the Truman Carrier Strike Group, which includes aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, a guided-missile cruiser, two destroyers, and an air wing with 36 advanced fighter jets.

The strike group has maintained continuous operations in the Red Sea since December 14.

Tehran's 'buffer'

The Iranian regime has been using the Houthis, which it supports with weapons and training, to further its regional interests, according to Yemen Monitor sources.

It particularly seeks to control Bab al-Mandeb strait -- the southern entrance to the Red Sea.

"Iran consistently uses external buffers it has planted in Arab countries as a first line of defense, managing its conflicts with the international community beyond its borders," political analyst Abdul-Wasea Al-Fatiki said.

Tehran finds it less costly to operate through these proxy buffers, he added.

Proxy groups also shield Tehran by offering it plausible deniability, with the Iranian regime attempting to pressure Western interests while avoiding direct military confrontation.

The fall of the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, a key Iranian ally, and the demise of its "favorite" proxy, Hizbullah, has left the Houthis in a more prominent position as the Iranian regime seeks to leverage power.

"The Houthis are the alternative to Hizbullah and the al-Assad regime," Al-Fatiki said, noting that international pressure on the Iranian regime could trigger increased Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.

Houthis need the war

The Houthis have compelling reasons of their own to maintain conflict conditions, according to media activist Abu Fahem Fouad al-Askari.

"It is impossible for the Houthis to live without war because they know that peace is not in their favor at all,' he said.

Without the distraction of ongoing military tensions, he added, the Houthis would face multiple challenges in the areas of Yemen they control.

These include diminished ability to extract financial resources from the population, mounting demands from public sector workers for unpaid wages, and increasing pressure to meet basic governance obligations, he said.

"Therefore, they would look for another enemy to fight against under a new pretext."