The Houthis truce is a strategic mistake

After nearly two years of Houthi strikes on Western shipping, President Donald Trump suddenly announced a ceasefire in May with the Houthi terrorists occupying parts of Yemen. But this agreement has not stopped the rebel group from attacking American interests. Even after it was announced, the Houthis continued to target our regional allies, including shooting missiles at civilian targets in Israel. American operations may have ended, but the war has not.

Retreating from the Red Sea sends the wrong signal to the world. For one, trusting guarantees made by terrorist groups never works out well for America — these fanatics are utterly committed to the destruction of us and our allies. Furthermore, withdrawal would give the Iranians an opportunity to rearm the Houthis and prepare them for yet another round of terrorism. Rather than committing to a ceasefire, then, the administration should find ways to defeat the terrorist group.

At the outset of his administration, Trump took the right stance against the Houthis. He inherited a series of strategic catastrophes from the Biden administration, but few were as dangerous as the crisis in the Red Sea. The Houthis, backed by Iran, effectively deployed cheap drone and missile technology in the narrow Bab al Mandab Strait to put increased stress on supply chains that were already overburdened. In contrast to the somewhat lackluster military response from the Biden administration, Trump, upon reentering office, immediately ordered a series of bold actions to hit the Houthis with much more strength. After that effort, code-named “Operation Rough Rider,” began in March, American strikes killed over 500 Houthi fighters and substantially degraded their military infrastructure.

Despite this initial success, Trump reversed course. The administration allegedly received assurances from the terrorist group’s leaders that they would stop attacking Western vessels in exchange for a halt in American airstrikes. It is uncertain at this point if the Trump administration will also follow its predecessor’s lead and remove the Houthis’ designation as a foreign terrorist organization. What is certain, though, is that Trump would like to pivot away from this fight.

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