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Published January 10, 2024, 6:45 p.m. ET
The U.S. should respond forcefully to an attack by Houthi rebels on container ships in the Red Sea that prompted U.S. officials to issue a second threat of “consequences,” experts said Wednesday.
Bill Roggio, a fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told The Post that delaying the action for any longer could give the group more time to prepare its next move and could ultimately lead to disaster.
“It really is time for the United States and its allies to shut up or shut up,” Roggio said. “This is the opposite of deterrence. That way you’re encouraging them by just continuing to give them the time and space to do what they’re doing.”
Roggio, who was stationed in the U.S. military during the Iraq War, said he was familiar with the dangerous methods of insurgent operations.
His warning came after US fighter jets and a British warship shot down 18 drones and three missiles from Yemen on Tuesday.
Rocket fire aboard a British warship as it repelled the largest Houthi missile and drone attack in the Red Sea, MOD
The Houthi attack, allegedly carried out against aid ships bound for Israel, was one of the most elaborate attacks by the Iran-backed Islamist militants since they began harassing container ships sailing through the Red Sea in October.
The attacks have crippled trade in the vital shipping corridor and led some of the world's largest shipping companies to halt their operations in the Red Sea, sailing around southern Africa and heading for the Mediterranean instead.
The US responded by deploying a coalition of defensive warships to the sea in December – but the missiles continued to fly despite repeated US threats to take action.
“This just shows that last week’s threat went unheeded,” Roggio said. “It is simply astonishing that the international community would allow a second-rate militia to become a regional superpower that can influence global trade.”
Anthony Blinken said he would not disclose what consequences the Houthis would face if they continued their attacks. AP
After Tuesday's attack, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken again warned of the consequences if the Houthis failed to act, but did not elaborate on when they would actually be implemented.
“I'm not going to communicate or predict that this could happen,” Blinken told reporters on Wednesday, according to CNN. “We have made it clear to more than 20 other countries that there will be consequences if things continue like yesterday.”
The exact consequences also remain unclear, but New York Times reports suggest that the Pentagon has plans to eliminate launch sites and ports for Houthi attack ships in Yemen.
But plans or no plans, threats or not, every day the U.S. and its allies do nothing, the Houthis win, Roggio said.
British sailors on board the HMS Diamond, which fired missiles to shoot down Houthi drones on Tuesday evening. MOD/SWNS
“The Houthis don’t need to attack anything to handle almost all cargo trade across the Red Sea. They are fulfilling their mission,” he said.
“The only thing that can stop them is action, and it won’t be one or two punches. Significant action must be taken that will reduce capabilities while punishing the real masters behind it, and that is the Iranians.”
Iran is known to support a number of extremist groups in the Middle East, including Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamist militias in Syria and Iraq, as well as the Houthis.
In this photo provided by the Ministry of Defense on Wednesday, January 10, 2024, from the operations room of HMS Diamond, Sea Viper missiles are prepared for launch in the Red Sea. AP
The groups call themselves the “Axis of Resistance” and aim to eradicate the influence of the United States, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the West in the Middle East and spread Islamic rule throughout the region.
“The longer they wait, the more emboldened the Houthis, Iran and militias in Iraq and Syria are to carry out more attacks,” Roggio said.
U.S. helicopters sank three Houthi boats trying to hijack a container ship in late December, killing all the militants on board, but Roggio said that was little more than a “heat of the moment” defensive action and did not constitute the type of aggression that is necessary, put the Houthis in their place.
“All it takes is for a missile to penetrate a drone, for there to be American, British or French casualties on a warship, or for an oil tanker or cargo ship to be hit,” Roggio added, noting that one could happen soon an environmental disaster occurs in the Red Sea.
“What this government has done in terms of deterrence is the exact opposite of what you need to do to achieve deterrence. We have aggravated this situation by signaling that we do not want to escalate the conflict.”
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