The United States may decide to deploy “special operations forces” to Yemen to stop the Houthis from targeting ships in the Red Sea, a geopolitical analyst suggested.
The US Air Force joined the RAF in launching an attack on the rebel group in retaliation for the blockade they imposed to show their support to Hamas shortly after the start of the war in Gaza.
President Joe Biden and Rishi Sunak both warned the strike showed the two nations will “not tolerate” any form of aggression from the Houthis.
However, expert Kervin Aucoin told the Daily Express that Washington could seek to establish a presence on the ground should the airstrike fail to put an end to the attacks in the Red Sea – something which may have already happened.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported Friday that a missile was fired toward a vessel approximately 90 nautical miles southeast of Aden in Yemen. The ship was reportedly followed by three small craft.
Aucoin, the founder of private intelligence company AuCoin Analytics, said: “The current strike package aims to degrade the Houthis’ capability to launch attacks and target ships in the Red Sea.
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“I’ve consistently supported targeted strikes against the Houthis on our podcast, emphasising the importance of proactive measures.
“If these strikes prove ineffective, the next viable option would involve deploying special operations forces for a ground offensive, similar to past operations against Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).”
The Houthis vowed to retaliate following the strike, which they claim killed at least five rebels.
In a statement following the strike, the Houthis’ Supreme Political Council warned that “all American-British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni armed forces in response to their direct and declared aggression against the Republic of Yemen.”
The response prompted Arabian Institute fellow Irina Tsukerman to warn the US will now need to devise a long-term strategy to handle the Houthis.
She insisted the strike threatens to exacerbate discontent in the Middle East and Washington will need to work with its allies in the region to limit the consequences.
Tsukerman told the Daily Express: “It’s also not enough to merely attack sites and weapons. Those can be rebuilt and resent.
“The US should be working with its allies to disrupt the human assets – the well-trained Houthi commanders who received their expertise from the elite military academies in Iran and from top Hezbollah advisers who are assisting them with logistics and weapons factories on the ground.
“US has to formulate a long-term regional strategy that involves degrading Iranian ability to communicate and back Houthis, thus isolating them, and then to disrupt their ability to produce new weapons.”
