How did the American press view Trump's recent strikes against the Houthis in Yemen?

The US airstrikes in Yemen, announced by Trump to target the Houthis, have been the subject of controversy and disagreement in the American press since the attacks began last Saturday. While some views have downplayed their effectiveness, others have viewed them as having strategic importance.

The Yemeni Youth Net website has monitored some of the American press' coverage of the US airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen, which have continued for the fifth consecutive day. Dozens of airstrikes have been launched on several Yemeni governorates, resulting in 53 deaths, according to Houthi media.

geopolitical agenda

The National Interest linked the US strikes against the Houthis to the US administration's broader geopolitical agenda—one that includes countering China's economic influence, particularly Beijing's reliance on Iranian oil.

In an article by Burcu Ozcelik, she said that by greenlighting the largest military strike so far in Trump's second term, the United States has embarked on several goals simultaneously: eroding the Houthis' military capabilities, applying "maximum pressure" against Iran's ability to fund its proxies, and sending a warning to buyers of sanctioned Iranian crude oil, particularly China.

Although the Trump administration justified its use of lethal force against the Houthis as a measure to ensure freedom of navigation, upon which international trade depends, the author believes that "Washington's calculations extend beyond maritime security to a broader geopolitical agenda, including countering China's economic influence, particularly its reliance on Iranian oil."

By targeting the Houthis, the United States is not only protecting vital shipping lanes, but also exerting pressure on the Iran-China energy axis, a key element of Beijing's strategic position in the region, according to the author.

The author of the article believes that US military action also aims to prevent the Houthis from strengthening their influence locally amid the fragile peace process there, and to prevent them from reorganizing in support of Iran's forward defense doctrine, which relies on funding from its proxies. She believes that a sustained US military campaign will likely weaken the Houthis' military arsenal and possibly even end their leadership.

However, the author adds, "The Houthis have a diverse war economy, allowing them to profit from the illicit smuggling of goods, from fuel and cigarettes to dual-use components and military materials, while generating tax revenues as a de facto state-like entity."

This makes the US and Western sanctions regime a key pillar in confronting the Houthis, but their growing ties with key actors complicate the effectiveness of sanctions, according to The National Interest.

Russia, China and aid to the Houthis

China was the primary destination for up to 90% of Iran's oil exports in 2024, highlighting the deepening economic ties between Beijing and Tehran despite US sanctions. By helping fill Iran's coffers, China is helping Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fund its proxies, such as the Houthis.

Since October of last year, prominent US Treasury Department data has revealed secret links between China and the Houthis. It is possible, according to reports, that the Houthis received financial or other compensation from China "such as Chinese-made military components" in exchange for allowing free passage for Chinese vessels in the Red Sea.

Furthermore, Russia, as part of its anti-US foreign policy, has reportedly provided the Houthis with satellite targeting data for US vessels in the Red Sea and adjacent waterways.

The Russian-Houthi connection, which grew during the Gaza conflict, was exposed when the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on March 5 on seven high-ranking Houthi members responsible for smuggling military materials and weapons systems and negotiating Houthi purchases from Russia.

With Putin now focused on the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire in Ukraine, Moscow will be less inclined to support the Houthis, which has been a pragmatic pressure tool rather than a long-term strategy, according to The National Interest.

Pressure against Iran

The Houthis have proven to be a valuable asset for Iran, which will likely seek to enhance the Houthis' capabilities in the long term to maintain a naval blockade in the Red Sea, and perhaps beyond.

According to The National Interest, "their value in Iran's eyes has increased since the losses suffered by Iranian networks in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria." With Iran's ability to transfer financial and technical support to the Houthis declining, the group is likely to expand its illicit drug, oil, and tobacco smuggling networks to bolster its economic and organizational resilience.

By targeting the Houthis as part of its maximum pressure campaign on Iran, the United States is also showing that it will not hesitate to strike armed groups allied with Iran.

This raises questions about the possibility of targeting Iranian-linked Shiite militias in Iraq in the coming months, as the United States intensifies pressure on Baghdad to disarm these groups and expel Iranian influence from the country ahead of the parliamentary elections scheduled for October.

An embarrassing situation for America

In an article titled "Trump Reaffirms US Role as World Policeman with Massive Escalation in Yemen," The Intercept warned that this escalation could lead to an embarrassing political situation for the Trump administration in the United States, with the outbreak of a broader conflict in the Middle East.

Trump focused his campaign on ending wars, yet the US administration is now heading toward more bloodshed in the Middle East, rushing into deeper and more involved intervention in Yemen.

The website warned of the possibility that an escalation of the Yemen war could ignite a regional conflict in the Middle East, the same type of conflict Trump has long stated he wants to avoid. The article also suggested that the Yemen war would likely escalate.

Experts expect US-backed forces in Yemen to resume ground operations against the Houthis, where they will certainly receive US intelligence and other support, according to The Intercept.

The site also noted the growing risk of a full-scale regional conflict, with Trump himself threatening Iran, the main supporter of the Houthi movement and the main enemy of the United States' main allies, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

A renewed war in Yemen could pose an embarrassing situation for Democrats. Previously, Democratic opposition to US involvement in the war was not party-wide, but rather a growing force, according to The Intercept.

During Trump's first term, Democrats strongly opposed US support for the Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen, and passed the Yemen War Powers Resolution in both houses of Congress with bipartisan support.

Once Biden began retaliatory operations against the Houthis amid Israel's war on Gaza, many Democrats reversed their opposition to the Yemen war. Now, Democrats have two choices: either rally their bloc against Trump's reckless escalation and take a position calling for a more restrained foreign policy, or support the president's revival of the notion of being a "policeman," according to the American website.

Targeting Houthi leaders is an insufficient justification.

For its part, Foreign Policy magazine published an article arguing that "targeting Houthi leaders is an insufficient justification," noting that "ending attacks on Red Sea shipping lanes requires a broader strategy."

The article's author, Daniel Shapiro, opined, "The Trump administration's airstrikes on Yemen earlier this week marked the first time the United States has explicitly targeted Houthi leaders. These strikes were justified, but the hard part may still lie ahead."

The author, who served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Near Eastern Affairs from January 2024 to January 2025, said, “The Biden administration, in which I served, struggled to meet the Houthi challenge. President Joe Biden authorized large-scale strikes against the Houthis. Contrary to what some Trump administration officials have described, these were neither lightning strikes nor purely reactive.”

He continued, "On at least seven occasions, US forces, sometimes with British participation, struck underground weapons storage facilities and command and control centers. In addition, US Central Command carried out almost daily self-defense strikes against weapons in use or being prepared."

In total, hundreds of Houthi missiles and drones were destroyed in these strikes, according to Shapiro, who added, "But the attacks did not restore deterrence. The Houthi leadership, with its vehemently anti-Israel and anti-American ideology, appeared emboldened by these skirmishes."

She exploited her conflict with the United States to boost her domestic popularity, while portraying herself as a defender of the Palestinians gained her a regional support base, according to a Foreign Policy article.

"In our discussions with our regional partners, both Arab and Israeli, we heard a common view that stopping the Houthis begins with killing their leaders. Houthi leader Abdulmalik al-Houthi sees himself as a rising regional strongman, not just a proxy for Iran," said Daniel Shapiro. "We were advised to kill him and his top aides, so that the Houthi aggression might subside."

I believe this type of targeting is easier said than done, especially in a remote and rugged place like Yemen, where Houthi leaders take security precautions to protect themselves, operating underground and among civilians, and enjoying the protection of sophisticated air defenses, which the US military acknowledges have shot down American MQ-9 reconnaissance drones, according to a Foreign Policy article.

To wage a sustained campaign against these targets, the US military requires additional intelligence and cooperation—both analytical and operational—from its key regional partners. A mission of this nature takes time and comes with tradeoffs, as the collection of assets against one target must be moved away from other targets.

From Trump administration officials' descriptions of their strikes, the intelligence picture appears to have matured enough to target Houthi leaders. This is necessary and appropriate, provided that civilian casualties are minimized as much as possible, but this requires sustained effort, according to Daniel Shapiro.

Trump administration challenges

President Donald Trump's team has promised to wage a "relentless" campaign until the Houthis halt their attacks. In the midst of this campaign, according to the former Defense Department official, the team will also face the following challenges:

The Houthis are unlikely to surrender easily, having endured years of Saudi-led coalition bombing before the ceasefire and peace negotiations in 2022. They have a high tolerance for violence. They see fighting the United States as both ideologically valuable and politically advantageous.

They may view Trump's aggressive rhetoric as a challenge, but they have proven their flexibility and skill in employing new weapons systems and innovative tactics.

In response to US strikes, the Houthis may launch attacks on Arab partners hosting US forces, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. This threat has limited the cooperation these countries have offered in previous rounds, and strengthening their air defenses will be essential to maintaining their support, which provides operational benefits.

Finally, the military tool is necessary, but insufficient, to solve the Houthi problem. The Trump administration has already added useful tools by redesignating the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization, opening up new possibilities for sanctions.

Interdicting arms shipments by land and sea, and strengthening UN inspections of goods entering the port of Hodeidah, are also key tools. But political measures should not be ruled out.

It is not enough to say, as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did, that we do not care about what happens in the Yemeni civil war. The Houthis' success in that war has brought us to this point.

So even if the Houthi leaders are removed, there must be a “what next?” Supporting the government of the Republic of Yemen—the Houthis’ rivals—and negotiating to install a credible and consensual leadership will be essential to prevent these Houthi battles from happening again.