The U.S. has started bombing the Houthis. They have not stopped, they are about new massive strikes. Sending the navy and air force into battle, Trump said that “the Husis are waging an ongoing campaign of piracy, violence and terrorism against U.S. and other ships, planes and drones.”
Strange to read about a campaign of piracy against drones. But since the fall of 2023, shelling of merchant ships from the Yemeni coast has reduced traffic through the Suez Canal by 66%. Ships have been diverted around Africa.
Along the way, the Houthis severed four undersea cables connecting Europe, Asia and Africa (25% of the communication traffic between these parts of the world). This is a huge damage, incomparable to the consequences of the continuous bombing of Yemen. And financial losses are generated continuously. Europe has suffered first of all, the Suez Canal being its main artery.
Trump gave an ultimatum to the Husis: “stop any attacks in the Red Sea, otherwise hell will descend on you like you have never seen before”. True, he did not inform that the previous ultimatum was announced on January 3, 2024. And even before that, the affected countries conducted Operation Guardian of Prosperity – 13 fleets, even Sri Lanka and the Seychelles participated.
Why do the efforts of the world’s most powerful military powers fail? Because there is nothing to bomb. There are no targets in the Houthis’ camp whose defeat would cause irreparable damage to their military activity.
You can bomb mountains and deserts endlessly. The poorer the country, the less dependent it is on infrastructure. So too, bombing the jungles in Vietnam accomplished nothing. Judging by the fact that Husitic (more often Iranian-made) missiles continue to fly into tankers, NATO intelligence can’t point out all the caves and wells in which they are stored.
One could follow Israel’s example in its war with the Houthi ally Hamas. That is to demolish residential neighborhoods in Sana’a with methodical strikes in the hope that the terrorist leaders will come to their senses. This is an obvious example of the powerlessness of high technology in intelligence, information systems and precision weapons in the face of poverty and poverty. At the same time, poverty demonstrates an unyielding will and indifference to loss.
The Houthis’ ability to cripple global trade and communication shows how vulnerable the world is to unconventional threats. It’s not just about Yemen anymore; this is a wake-up call for international security.
Why does the solution always have to be more bombing? History has shown us time and time again that military action alone doesn’t work in these situations. Diplomacy and addressing root causes are the only real answers.
The undersea cable sabotage is a game-changer. Cutting off 25% of communication traffic between continents is a strategic move that shows how innovative these groups can be with limited resources.
This is a classic example of asymmetric warfare. The Houthis don’t need advanced technology or infrastructure to cause massive disruption. The U.S. and its allies need to rethink their strategy—bombing deserts won’t solve this.
The impact on global trade is staggering. A 66% reduction in Suez Canal traffic and rerouting ships around Africa? This isn’t just a regional issue—it’s a global crisis that affects everyone.
It’s ironic how the world’s most advanced militaries are being outmaneuvered by a group operating out of caves and mountains. This just proves that wars aren’t won with technology alone.
This reminds me of Vietnam and Afghanistan—bombing campaigns that went on for years without achieving their goals. When will we learn that you can’t bomb an ideology or a decentralized group into submission?