The United States dramatically stepped up its military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, initiating heavy bombing and missile strikes targeting the group on March 15. The Houthis’ repeated attacks in the Red Sea since October 2023, in response to the Gaza war, have disrupted one of the most significant global maritime shipping routes. What are the implications of the latest US operation, and will it prove more successful than previous military efforts to neutralize or deter the group?
This on-the-record briefing featured former commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and retired four-star general in the United States Army, General Joseph Votel, who is also Distinguished Military Fellow at the Middle East Institute, as well as Nadwa Al-Dawsari, Associate Fellow at MEI.
Our experts discussed the unfolding US airstrikes on the Iran-backed Houthis; the group’s transformation from a local guerilla group to a powerful military force and its broader regional ambitions; the Houthis’ pragmatic relations with Iran, Russia, China, and multiple regional terrorist groups; as well as what success or failure of the US military campaign against the Houthis will mean for the wider Red Sea region and the global security order.