Why is the US reluctant to strike back against Yemen's Houthi rebels?
Yemen’s Houthi rebels opened a new volley of attacks on commercial shipping in the southern Red Sea, but Washington appears in no rush to authorize US military strikes on the Iran-backed group.
![A picture taken during an organized tour by Yemen's Huthi rebels on Nov. 22, 2023, shows a security guard aboard the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, seized by Huthi fighters two days earlier, in a port on the Red Sea in the Yemeni province of Hodeida.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_hero_medium/public/2023-12/GettyImages-1796941064%20copy.jpg?h=04435ed8&itok=ZmQH58C5)
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Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels opened a new volley of attacks on commercial shipping in the southern Red Sea earlier this week, posing a dilemma for the United States as it seeks to rein in the fallout of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Three commercial cargo vessels north of the Bab el-Mandeb issued distress calls reporting they were struck each by a ballistic missile fired from Yemen on Sunday, leading a nearby US warship to assist.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney — which was not formally escorting the ships but happened to be nearby — shot down three drones as it raced to answer one distress call after another over the seven-hour string of attacks, Pentagon officials said.
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