The ongoing conflict in the Red Sea has taken a new turn as the Iran-backed Houthi movement, entrenched in Yemen, asserts increasing control over strategic maritime routes, challenging the efficacy of international efforts led by the United States and its partners. The mounting crisis comes amid growing concerns among Western defense officials and security experts about the expanding reach and resilience of Iranian proxy forces throughout the region.
Recent statements from former leaders of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) reflect this sober reassessment. These senior American officials now concede that, despite the massive deployment of naval and air power, the Houthis remain on the offensive and have imposed unprecedented disruptions on commercial maritime traffic. According to industry estimates, up to 80 percent of vessels that once routinely traversed the Red Sea have been forced to alter their routes, facing mounting insurance premiums and unpredictable delays that ripple across the global economic system.
This escalation follows years of aerial campaigns and coalition efforts led by the United States, Britain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Yet, as former White House advisors point out, previous attempts by Saudi and Emirati forces to dismantle Houthi capabilities proved ineffective, echoing Egypt’s stalled campaign decades earlier. Today, with the Houthis fortified by advanced Iranian weaponry—ranging from drones to anti-ship ballistic missiles—they have carried out multiple attacks against international merchant vessels, often targeting Israeli and Western-linked assets as part of Iran’s larger anti-Western agenda.
BACKGROUND: THE HOUTHIS AND IRAN’S ‘AXIS OF RESISTANCE’
The Houthi movement, known formally as Ansar Allah, began as a sectarian rebellion but has since transformed—under substantial Iranian financial, military, and ideological sponsorship—into a linchpin in the so-called ‘Axis of Resistance.’ This coalition orchestrated by Tehran also encompasses Hamas terrorists in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Shi’ite militias in Iraq and Syria. Since their 2014 seizure of Yemen’s capital, the Houthis have served as Iran’s strategic lever to threaten international commerce and regional stability along the Bab el-Mandeb strait and beyond.
Over the past year, these efforts intensified in the wake of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led massacre—the deadliest antisemitic atrocity since the Holocaust—a watershed moment that marked the beginning of open, multi-front aggression against Israel by Iran’s proxies. The Houthis exploited this escalation to justify and expand their campaign in the Red Sea, presenting themselves as champions of regional resistance while inflicting real costs on global trade and security.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
The Red Sea serves as a critical conduit for international shipping, with approximately 12 percent of global trade volume at stake. The ongoing attacks have forced major shipping lines to reroute around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, driving up fuel costs, extending delivery times, and placing a heavy financial burden on clients and insurers. This disruption is particularly acute for Europe and Asia, where timely deliveries of energy and consumer goods are vital for economic stability.
For Israel, the consequences are even more direct and acute. The threat to Israeli-linked shipping has forced the country to recalibrate its maritime security protocols, coordinate closely with international partners, and invest further in naval defense systems. The risk posed by Houthi-launched missiles and drones has made the Red Sea a new arena in Israel’s ongoing war against Iranian-sponsored terrorism.
MILITARY AND POLITICAL CHALLENGES
Aerial and missile strikes by the Western-led Operation Prosperity Guardian coalition have managed to degrade some of the Houthis’ infrastructure, but have not fundamentally changed the calculus. The movement’s discipline, dispersal, and combat experience—honed over nearly a decade of war—have allowed it to absorb repeated blows. Meanwhile, Iran continues to supply the Houthis with state-of-the-art technology and intelligence, making a purely military solution elusive.
Policy analysts now warn that the singular focus on air campaigns is inadequate. There is an emerging consensus among American, Israeli, and Arab officials that a more comprehensive, multi-domain approach is required. Enhanced intelligence-sharing, improved interdiction of smuggling routes, greater political pressure on Iran, and deeper cooperation with local allies are all under discussion as part of a long-term strategy to counter the threat.
REGIONAL AND HISTORICAL CONTEXT
The resilience of the Houthis should also be understood in the context of prior failed interventions. Both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates mounted multi-year campaigns aimed at pushing Houthi forces out of key territories and restoring internationally recognized rule, only to face persistent guerilla resistance and mounting casualties. Egypt’s earlier intervention in the 1960s similarly failed to uproot the movement, demonstrating the formidable staying power of Houthi fighters and the complexity of Yemen’s tribal and ideological landscape.
The current crisis demonstrates the growing cost of allowing Iranian-backed terror armies, like the Houthis, to operate with impunity and the strategic necessity for broad, principled coalitions. For Israel and its allies, the stakes are high: every terror victory emboldens the axis dedicated to Israel’s destruction and the destabilization of open societies across the Middle East.
LOOKING AHEAD
As of mid-2024, there is little sign of de-escalation in the Red Sea theater. The Houthis continue to launch attacks, evidenced by ongoing disruptions and intercepted weapons deliveries traced to Iranian sources. Maritime security officials warn that absent more forceful and coordinated action—including diplomatic, military, and economic measures—the crisis carries the risk of normalizing a new, dangerous status quo in one of the world’s most vital regions.
Israel, for its part, remains on high alert. Officials stress that the country will continue to act decisively to protect its shipping, citizens, and regional partners. The alliance between Jerusalem and Washington remains strong, as both countries recognize that the defeat of Iran’s regional proxy network is central not just to their security, but to global order in an era increasingly shaped by terror and asymmetrical warfare.
In summary, the war in the Red Sea is more than a regional dispute; it is a defining front in the ongoing struggle between states that uphold international norms and those that seek to upend them by force. Israel, alongside the United States and allied partners, continues to confront these threats head-on, ensuring that the historical and moral clarity of the conflict is never blurred in the face of escalating Iranian-backed aggression.
