July 23, 2025 | The National Interest
A Deal with the Houthis Is No Deal at All
Until the Houthis see the costs of their aggression, the Yemeni Islamist group will continue to threaten stability in the Red Sea.
July 23, 2025 | The National Interest
A Deal with the Houthis Is No Deal at All
Until the Houthis see the costs of their aggression, the Yemeni Islamist group will continue to threaten stability in the Red Sea.
Excerpt
While Iran and Hezbollah are licking their wounds after costly clashes with Israel, one of Tehran’s deadliest proxies continues to rain down missiles on the Jewish state. On July 22, the Yemeni Houthis fired a ballistic missile at Ben Gurion Airport, following another launch just four days earlier. These are not isolated provocations. They are a clear signal: the Houthis are not deterred.
Washington’s response has followed a now-familiar pattern—one that has failed time and again. Like Saudi Arabia before it, the United States has pursued a diplomatic track, offering ceasefires and incentives in the hope that the Houthis will stop. However, history tells us otherwise: the Houthis treat every pause as an opportunity to rearm, regroup, and return to the battlefield stronger.
Instead of appeasement, the United States should adopt a persistent campaign of sanctions, diplomatic pressure, and, when necessary, military force. Anything less invites more bloodshed.
This is not just Israel’s problem. The Houthis have launched dozens of attacks on civilian shipping in the Red Sea, causing chaos in global supply chains and threatening one of the world’s most vital maritime corridors. These attacks challenge the US commitment to defend freedom of navigation—a cornerstone of global prosperity since the end of World War II.
Mark Dubowitz is the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and host of the “Iran Breakdown” podcast. Follow him on X: @mdubowitz. Koby Gottlieb is an FDD intern and student at Brandeis University.