The Houthi rebels launched a massive attack on shipping in the Red Sea. Luckily, US and British ships intercepted the missiles before any ships were hit.
Among the munitions were anti-ship ballistic missiles, a relatively new class of weapon. Those missiles can reach further and are more difficult to intercept. ABC News says:
The U.S. Navy and the U.K.’s Royal Navy foiled a major Houthi attack Tuesday night in the Red Sea, shooting down 18 one-way drones and three missiles targeting commercial ships.
The incident began at around 9:15 p.m. local time when the Houthis launched “Iranian-designed one-way attack” drones, “anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile,” Centcom said in a post on X. According to Centcom, the weapons were launched from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The Houthis have been threatening international shipping through the Suez Canal. Following these attacks, Western militaries have threatened to bomb the Houthis. The NY Times continues:
So far, the United States has held back from hitting Houthi bases in Yemen, in large part because it does not want to undermine a fragile truce in Yemen’s civil war, military officials said. Pentagon officials have drawn up plans for striking missile and drone bases in Yemen, as well as facilities that harbor the fast boats the Houthis use to attack ships.
At the same time, the Biden administration has said it will hold the Houthis responsible for the attacks, a warning that suggested the government may be considering retaliatory strikes in Yemen.
The reality is that the US Military is too thinly stretched to commit enough forces against the Houthis. A ground invasion would be required to stop Houthi attacks, but it would be difficult to convince the American people to support it.
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