Iran-Backed Attacks on Ships in the Red Sea Underscore a U.S. Dilemma

To protest Israel’s actions in Gaza, the Houthi regime in Yemen is attacking vessels with some sort of Israeli connection—even as little as partial ownership. And it is becoming increasingly difficult not to conclude that the spider controlling the actions of the Houthis—as well as Hezbollah in Lebanon and attacks on U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq—is Iran. Apart from pressure on Israel, the actions by the Houthis are a direct challenge to the U.S. Efforts by both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to defeat the movement have failed, to the embarrassment of these vastly richer nations with their well-equipped militaries. Washington is helping to broker a peace agreement but is bogged down in details, and the Houthis, with or without the encouragement of Iran, are being awkward. For Washington, the task is infuriating. A group of rifle-toting tribesmen, endowed with some missiles provided by Iran, has taken on the might of the U.S. military and is endangering a major sea transit route...

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