WASHINGTON TIMES
They have gone from a little-known rebel outfit in one of the world’s poorest countries to a household name that can directly impact global commerce, regional security and international energy markets — with no easy way to stop them.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels, financially and logistically backed by Iran, have emerged as key players in a conflict that began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist assault on Israel but has quickly spread across the Middle East.
As other Iranian proxies clash with U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, the Houthi rebels are using cheap drones and anti-ship missiles to target commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea.
U.S. forces have been battling the Houthis on a near-daily basis. Late Tuesday, the Pentagon said U.S. forces had shot down 12 one-way attack drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two land attack cruise missiles fired by the Houthis over a frantic 10 hours.
The unfolding U.S.-Houthi conflict is unexpectedly shaping up to be perhaps the most far-reaching spinoff of the Israel-Hamas war. Leading commercial shipping companies are rethinking routes through the violent and dangerous Red Sea. The energy sector is watching nervously to see whether the Houthis become more aggressive against oil tankers passing through the region’s narrow maritime chokepoints.
The U.S. and its allies have launched a maritime security task force to slow the Houthi attacks, but analysts warn that the Yemen-based group has discovered it can exert an outsized impact on the rest of the planet with little fear of consequences.
“For the Houthis, this is their time to shine,” said Brigham McCown, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and director of the think tank’s Initiative on American Energy Security.
“They’re getting their 10 minutes of fame because they’ve stumbled upon … an opportunity to play a major role with very little risk in their minds,” said Mr. McCown, a retired naval aviator. “They’re…
