Why Can’t Anyone Stop Yemen’s Houthi Rebels?

On May 6, United States President Donald Trump said the US would stop its attacks on the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group. The US had launched a campaign of airstrikes on the Houthis in Yemen starting on March 15. Oman, a neighbor of Yemen, said that it had helped mediate an end to the conflict between the US and the Houthis.

The end of seven weeks of fighting isn’t a clear surrender by the Houthis. They appear to have weathered the storm as they have in the past against other adversaries. They continue to threaten Israel and the region. Why have they proven such a hard nut to crack?

Houthi Aggressors

On May 4, the Houthis in Yemen launched a long-range missile at Israel. Although Israeli air defenses detected the missile, the projectile was not intercepted. It fell close to Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport, causing a crater and injuring several people. The Israeli Air Force said, “The likely cause was a technical issue with the interceptor launched toward the missile.”

The Houthis have attacked Israel dozens of times over the past nineteen months. The group decided that they would carry out attacks in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. The Houthis began by targeting southern Israel and also attacking ships in the Red Sea. The group claimed they were trying to create a blockade against shipping to Israel. They expanded their operations to include targeting the US and other naval ships in the Red Sea when the US began to try to defend shipping in November 2023.

The US increased operations against the Houthis on March 15, 2025. The Trump administration designated the Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization prior to launching the expanded aerial campaign against them. 

Initially, US airstrikes came from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier until the USS Carl Vinson arrived in the region in early April. Israel has also carried out at least six rounds of airstrikes on the group. The latest strike was in retaliation for the attack near Ben-Gurion airport. The Israel Defense Forces said on May 5 that dozens of targets were struck in Yemen by around twenty warplanes.

Despite all the air power used against the Houthis, the group has proven a hard nut to crack. This isn’t surprising. The Houthis were able to withstand a campaign led by Saudi Arabia between 2015 and 2022.

Riyadh intervened to back the government of Yemen as the Houthis overran part of the country in 2015. The Saudis used modern US-made warplanes and munitions. However, the Houthis were not only able to withstand the bombardment by Saudi Arabia and several of Riyadh’s allies, the Houthis increased their capabilities during the bombardment. For instance, the Houthis expanded the range of their ballistic missiles and one-way attack drones. The Houthi arsenal has been developed with Iranian support.

Efforts to stop the Houthis have been frustrated for several reasons. It appears the Houthis can continue to manufacture and deploy missiles locally. They either stockpiled enough materials over the years or were able to get materials via maritime routes.

They are able to hide their missile launchers and roll them out from various locations. The Houthis use both solid and liquid-fueled missiles, according to reports. They have access to a variety of drones. For instance, the Shahed 136 Iranian-made drone was first spotted in Yemen in 2021. Iran then exported the same drone to Russia in large numbers. The Houthis thus served as a testing ground for Iranian systems.

While Iran shrugged off claims it was backing the Houthis between 2015 and 2023, it has since changed its tune. On May 5, Iran claimed it was “baseless” to accuse Iran of involvement with recent attacks. Iran is in talks with the US about a new Iran deal.

It likely doesn’t want to be seen as aiding the Houthis too closely. This situation could change if Iran thinks the deal talks are faltering. Oman, which has also been involved in the negotiations with the Houthis, has been sponsoring the indirect talks between the US and Iran. The Houthis don’t want to destabilize or insult Oman. Neither does Iran.

However, this still leaves big question marks about how the Houthis can be deterred or stopped. The Houthis didn’t stop their attacks on Saudi Arabia until a ceasefire was achieved in Yemen. It increasingly appears that China’s brokering of reconciliation between Iran and Saudi Arabia helped stop the Houthi attacks on Riyadh.

Could a new Iran deal also be a way to stop the Houthi aggression? The Houthis claim they are backing the Palestinians in Gaza. When there was a US-backed ceasefire in Gaza between January and March 2025, the Houthis stopped their attacks. They began the attacks again after the US strikes began and after the Gaza ceasefire ended in March.

What to Do About the Houthis in the Long Term? 

The problem with the Houthis is symbolic of a larger challenge. US and Israeli airpower have not subdued the rebel group. Israel’s air forces say it has been able to intercept more than ninety-five percent of missiles launched from Yemen.

However, that means some will get through from time to time. Air defenses are not a substitute for a wider strategy. Neither is bombing. Israel and the US do not want to have boots on the ground in Yemen.

No one is marching an army from the coast as Hodeidah to Sana’a. This isn’t because this would be impossible. It’s because history shows how difficult it would be. The Egyptians intervened in Yemen in the 1960s to back the North Yemen Republic against the Royalists, who held the high ground.

The Egyptians failed to dislodge the Royalists, who were backed by Riyadh at the time. Today, things are different, but the geography is the same. The key to stopping the Houthis likely lies in thinking outside the box or getting Tehran to tell them to stop their aggression. Oman helped reduce the conflict with the US, but it remains to be seen if the Houthis are deterred and will prevent their attacks in the region. 

Seth Frantzman is the author of The October 7 War: Israel’s Battle for Security in Gaza (2024) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies. He is a Senior Middle East Analyst for The Jerusalem Post. Seth is now a 19FortyFive Contributing Editor.