Houthi rebels’ recklessness and aggression in the Red Sea throughout 2024, and now directly against Israel right up to the present, has shown how foolish it was to imagine that they could ever be trusted to settle into a responsible, governing role in Yemen, according to an analysis published by Middle East Forum.
The author of the analysis, Edmund Fitton-Brown, a British diplomat who served as United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Yemen from 2015 to 2017, found that it is less clear that the ceasefire agreement that ended the United States campaign against the Houthi rebels, has resolved anything for the longer term, adding “The Houthis claim to be triumphant, unrepentant and still committed to attacking Israeli interests. Even the Omani official announcement of the ceasefire contains a glaring contradiction, saying that all commercial shipping will now be safe but acknowledging that it is only the Americans and the Houthis who have agreed to stop attacking each other.”
Edmund Fitton-Brown thought that what appears to be missing from the plans of the Houthis’ various enemies is meaningful engagement with the IRG and the Southern Transitional Council in Aden and the determination and resource allocation required to reinvigorate their military campaign against the Houthis.
He concluded that “It is therefore essential for the U.S. to look at its policy options ahead of when a new round of escalation occurs, be it between Israel and the Houthis only, or directly involving Iran.