Houthi attacks on American drones are obstructing Trump's objective of eliminating the senior leadership of the group.
Unleashing Havoc: US Military Campaign Against Yemen's Houthis
Over the past month, the US has launched a robust military campaign aimed at the Houthi rebel group in Yemen, but this operation has been met with unexpected obstacles. Here's a rundown of the chaotic battlefield.
The US military has faced setbacks in its bid to achieve air superiority, with the Houthis successfully shooting down at least seven American drones worth millions of dollars. This predicament has hampered the US from advancing into the next phase of operations, according to US officials familiar with the matter. The hope was to establish air superiority within 30 days and weaken Houthi air defense systems to transition into a phase concentrating on targeting and eliminating key Houthi leaders.
However, the MQ9 Reaper drones, which are crucial for conducting persistent surveillance, keep getting shot down, making it challenging to determine the extent of the degradation of the Houthis' weapons stockpiles. Over the last six weeks, the Houthis have unleashed a barrage of attacks, including launching one-way drones, cruising missiles, medium-range ballistic missiles, and surface-to-air missiles.
Unfortunately, the US has not been able to achieve significant progress in dismantling the Houthis' command-and-control structure or limiting their ability and intent to keep lobbing missiles at US vessels and Israel. This is partly due to the Houthis' resilience, as they continue to receive aid from Iran and bury their equipment deep underground, making it difficult to eradicate them.
The costs of this large-scale operation are escalating rapidly, with the US shelling out nearly $1 billion during the first three weeks. As the campaign drags on for over a month, the US has continued to strike Houthi targets relentlessly. Despite internal assessments questioning the effectiveness of the operation, the Trump administration remains optimistic, claiming the campaign to be highly successful so far.
The Houthis have proven to be a formidable opponent, withstanding years of Saudi forces' attempts to eliminate them. The US is considering prolonging its support against the Houthis in the Gulf region, akin to its operations in Africa. However, the campaign's long-term effectiveness remains uncertain due to the obstacles faced in achieving key objectives.
Insights:- Leadership Targets: The U.S. campaign has targeted mid-level Houthi officials but not yet senior political leadership [1].- Infrastructure Damage: The campaign has inflicted substantial damage on Houthi military capabilities, forcing their leadership to hide and causing unprecedented destruction to infrastructure like communication networks and control centers [4].- Maritime Threat: The U.S. aims to block Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a critical maritime corridor [1][3].
- The US campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, while met with unexpected obstacles, has been attempting to target mid-level Houthi officials and weaken their command-and-control structure [Insights].
- The Houthis' successful shooting down of seven American drones, worth millions of dollars, has hindered the US from achieving air superiority and advancing into the next phase of operations [Unleashing Havoc].
- The damages inflicted on the Houthis by the US military, including infrastructure like communication networks and control centers, have forced their leadership to hide [Insights].
- The US continues to face the devastatingly challenging task of limiting the Houthis' ability and intent to keep lobbing missiles at US vessels and Israel, a problem exacerbated by the Houthis' receipt of aid from Iran and their method of burying equipment deep underground [Unleashing Havoc].
