CNN published on 6 April 2025 an article titled "Far from Being Cowed by US Airstrikes, Yemen's Houthis May Be Relishing Them" by Nadeen Ebrahim and Tim Lister.
As the United States continues airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, the Houthis become more defiant. The senior Houthi military and political leadership remains intact according to analysts and so are at least some of its missile launching sites. The total cost of the US airstrikes is nearing $1 billion in just under three weeks. While Houthi capacity is being degraded, they have an extraordinarily high tolerance for pain and the only way to defeat the Houthis may be a ground invasion.
Comment: The Saudis and the Emiratis failed to subdue the Houthis in a lengthy war on the ground. Regional experts tend to agree that only an extensive and messy ground operation can subdue the Houthis. There is little chance the US is willing to undertake such an operation and there is no guarantee it would succeed if it tried. It may be time to reassess US policy in the Red Sea region.
