Analyst argues U.S. should support Saudi-led campaign against Yemen's Houthis

Ali Shihabi, a Fox News opinion contributor, argues that the United States should expand its support for the Yemeni government and Saudi Arabia in their campaign against the Houthis, a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization aligned with Iran. Shihabi contends that the conflict in Yemen is not a separate engagement but part of a broader regional confrontation that directly impacts American strategic and economic interests.

The article reports that government forces, supported by Saudi air power, have expelled the Houthis from strategically important areas around the Bab el-Mandeb. Shihabi describes this battlefield momentum as encouraging, noting that while the gains remain vulnerable, they demonstrate the capacity of local forces to operate effectively. He states that the United States is already providing Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting support, including satellite surveillance to locate missile batteries, drone facilities, and command centers, but is stopping short of direct strikes.

Shihabi asserts that direct American air power would make this intelligence considerably more effective by operating within U.S. surveillance networks. He explains that placing American aircraft inside the sensor-to-shooter loop could shorten the time between detecting and attacking mobile targets, such as missile launchers that can relocate within minutes. While he notes that direct U.S. involvement would be helpful, he maintains it is not critical to the campaign’s success because Saudi Arabia possesses the necessary aircraft and intelligence capabilities, and Yemeni troops are conducting ground fighting.

The argument for U.S. involvement rests on geography and energy security. Shihabi highlights that the Houthis have strengthened their position along the Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb, a critical maritime choke point. He cites that roughly 22% of global seaborne container trade passes through the Red Sea, and disruptions force ships to travel around Africa, raising freight and insurance costs. Additionally, he warns that Iranian-backed groups could apply pressure at two critical choke points simultaneously: Tehran around the Strait of Hormuz and the Houthis around the Bab el-Mandeb. This dual threat diminishes the strategic value of Saudi Arabia’s East-West Pipeline, which provides an alternative route for oil exports when Hormuz is dangerous.

Shihabi also points to a worrying development involving Houthi ties with al-Shabaab in Somalia. He references American official warnings regarding weapons transfers, drone training, and tactical coordination between the groups, which raises the prospect of a militant network operating on both sides of the Gulf of Aden. He argues that this network’s targets may currently be Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government, but there is no reason to assume their priorities will remain unchanged.

The article criticizes the 2018 decision to stop a Yemeni offensive near Hodeidah under Western pressure. Shihabi describes this halt as a grave mistake that allowed the Houthis to retain their principal Red Sea port, preserve their economic lifeline, and consolidate their rule while acquiring sophisticated missiles and drones from Iran. He argues that stopping a successful military campaign without an enforceable political settlement allowed the weaker party to recover, transforming a containable insurgency into a strategic threat.

Shihabi concludes that Washington should support the current Yemeni effort because the outcome affects American interests, including energy prices for consumers. He states that local forces are increasingly demonstrating they can confront the Houthis when unified and supplied, while carefully applied U.S. air power would serve as a powerful force multiplier.