Criminals like the Houthis must be handled with brute force

Trump 2.0’s approach to domestic reform, trade and alliances has been reckless. The president’s tariffs disrupted global markets; his handling of Ukraine and Russia emboldened adversaries; and his treatment of allies left many questioning America’s commitment to global leadership.

But in the Middle East, President Trump has made some right moves, understanding something former President Joe Biden seemed to miss: Peace through strength is sometimes the only viable path, and doubly so in that region.

So this is a rare chance to commend the Trump administration for its decision to launch (on the Ides of March, no less) significant military operations against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi rebels. 

The campaign included extensive air and naval strikes targeted Houthi military assets, including radars, air defenses and missile and drone systems. This aimed to restore security in the Red Sea, disrupted by Houthi attacks on merchant and military vessels, and to send a warning to Iran that its golden era of troublemaking-by-proxy is over.

The Houthi-run health ministry reported that the initial strikes resulted in at least 31 fatalities and 101 injuries, predominantly among women and children. Subsequent operations have increased the death toll to at least 53, with 98 others wounded. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth emphasized the campaign’s objective to halt Houthi attacks on shipping and reaffirmed a commitment to an “unrelenting” military effort until these assaults cease. We cannot know if civilians indeed were hurt — that would be a tragedy, but societies in such countries must eventually be made to understand that being run by madness will bring upon them madness.

Any students inclined to protest colonization should be advised that there is no defense for the Houthis. They have survived about a decade of struggle against local rivals as well as the Saudis and Emiratis, but they are not fighting for freedom, democracy, justice or better living standards.

Their slogan is “Allah is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse on the Jews, Victory to Islam.” This is prominently displayed on banners, flags and propaganda materials associated with the Houthis, and in pursuit of these values they have trashed most of one of the world’s poorest countries and have caused the death of almost a half million people, many from cholera and other disease. They are among the worst that humanity has yet spit out.

The Biden administration, despite the best intentions, made the mistake of treating the Houthis as rational actors open to incentives and engagement. Early in his presidency, Biden lifted the terrorist designation of the Houthis, hoping to ease humanitarian suffering and encourage peace talks. Emboldened, they ramped up their military operations, deepened their ties with Iran, and in October 2023 launched a campaign of attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, upending global trade.

Their brazenness has been staggering. Since late 2023, the Houthis have carried out over 100 attacks on merchant vessels, sinking two ships and killing four sailors. Their justification? Solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, more than 1,000 miles away. This has been wreaking havoc on global trade and strangling supply chains that many of the world’s economies rely on.

They have fired ballistic missiles at international vessels, launched drone swarms at U.S. warships, and turned a vital maritime passage into a warzone. Major shipping companies have been forced to reroute around Africa, leading to severe disruptions and increasing costs that will inevitably trickle down to consumers. Their provocations have disrupted a third of global shipping through the Suez Canal, and Egypt alone has seen Suez Canal revenues drop by $7 billion, a loss it can ill afford.

Despite multiple warnings, the Houthis doubled down, proving they were undeterred by diplomatic pressure or limited retaliatory strikes. So the current escalation should have happened months ago, and it should go on until the Houthis relent— not until they pause or propose another bad-faith pause, but until they stop their aggression entirely. Anything short of that will invite more chaos, more destruction and more instability in a region that has endured too much.

This is not about mindless militarism. It is about recognizing the reality that groups like the Houthis, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda and ISIS do not lay down their weapons because of diplomatic overtures. They do so when they are forced to. The argument that restraint prevents escalation ignores Middle East history: every time these groups have been met with hesitation or half-measures, they have only become more emboldened. Hezbollah’s rise in Lebanon, Hamas’s entrenchment in Gaza, and the resurgence of ISIS after the Obama administration’s withdrawal from Iraq all stand as testaments to this sad reality.

Iran, which arms and directs the Houthis, is watching closely. If the U.S. fails to deliver a sustained and punishing response, Tehran will once more be tempted to conclude that its harassments carry little risk. The only way to prevent this is to make clear that attacks on global commerce and American military assets will be met with overwhelming force.

Beyond the Houthis, the Trump administration must also demand accountability from Arab nations regarding Gaza. This may be overgenerous, but one can consider viewing Trump’s preposterous statements last month about the U.S. owning a fully depopulated Gaza in that light: It shocked the Arab countries into proposing, under the leadership of Egypt, the beginnings of a plan for that territory. More is needed.

For too long, regional players have treated the Palestinian issue as a cudgel against Israel while refusing to take meaningful responsibility for its resolution. Egypt and Jordan, which once controlled Gaza and the West Bank, have shown little interest in assuming any role beyond rhetoric. The Gulf states, despite their immense wealth, have largely stood by as Hamas turned Gaza into a launchpad for terror and for abusing their own people. The Arab world must be forced to step up, both in terms of economic responsibility and long-term governance solutions.

With the U.S. finally taking decisive action against the Houthis, the next step in stabilizing the region might be dismantling Iraq’s powerful Shiite militias. The Popular Mobilization Forces, a network of more than 67 armed factions with perhaps 200,000 men or more under arms, is mostly loyal to Iran and operates as a parallel state within Iraq.

Many of its component groups, including Kataib Hezbollah and Asaib Ahl al-Haq, are directly controlled by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. They threaten political opponents, have been implicated in terrorism (as well as attacks on Israel in the recent warfare), and their stranglehold on Iraq’s military and economy prevents the country from asserting true independence. Forcing Iraq to dismantle them is the next strategic priority.

Dan Perry is the former Cairo-based Middle East editor and London-based Europe-Africa editor of the Associated Press, the former chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem and the author of two books. Follow him at danperry.substack.com