Airstrikes Cannot Defeat the Houthis; A Strategic Alliance with Eritrea Can.

Habtom Ghebrezghiabher

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The ongoing U.S. airstrikes in Yemen have failed — strategically, militarily, and morally. The horrifying toll on refugees caught in the crossfire in April 2025, victims of a war they did not choose, is shameful. These tragedies mirror earlier Saudi strikes that devastated refugee camps, reinforcing the truth: air power alone will not defeat the Houthis. America must abandon this unsustainable, extensive, morally damaging approach and embrace a regional ground strategy led by those with the most at stake.

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There is a more effective, sustainable, and practical solution. The U.S. must partner with Eritrea, and the solution is the deployment of 100,000 Eritrean troops — battle-hardened, strategically positioned, and with deep strategic interest in Red Sea security — alongside thousands of Yemeni soldiers. A coordinated three-front ground invasion, in partnership with Yemen’s legitimate government, can permanently dismantle the Houthi insurgency. Permanent Eritrean military bases inside Yemen will secure maritime trade routes, push back Iranian proxies, and restore peace and order.

This is not new. It was done in Somalia with Ethiopian forces, and it worked. We need to repeat this in Yemen with Eritrean forces. Let regional forces solve regional problems with ground commitment, not distant airstrikes.

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Saudi Arabia: Proved Airstrike Alone Is Useless

Since 2015, the Saudis launched airstrikes and ground offensives to contain the Houthis; however, not only did they fail to achieve this goal, but they also ended up emboldening their adversaries. Over seven years, the Saudis conducted more than 25,000 air raids, yet they failed to dismantle Houthi power or halt their advance.

The Houthis rose to power primarily by opposing U.S. intervention in Yemen and toppling Abdullah Saleh, who had aligned with Washington during the “War on Terror.” This anti-American narrative allowed the Houthis to win support from Eritrea and Iran — nations hostile to U.S. influence and its allies in the region, particularly Israel.

The consequences of the Saudi-led war have been devastating for civilians. Hundreds of thousands of Yemenis became collateral damage, including dozens of refugees killed in a January 2022 airstrike on the Saada refugee prison camp.

Despite overwhelming firepower, the Saudis failed to defeat the Houthis. Airstrikes proved ineffective and costly, and the Kingdom could not form a large, capable ground force. Instead, the Houthis grew stronger, striking Saudi cities, oil pipelines, and key energy infrastructure. In 2022, Saudi Arabia shifted from a military strategy to diplomacy, proving that the Houthis had deterred Saudi Arabia, not the other way around.

Now emboldened, the Houthis have launched attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel under the banner of “solidarity with Palestine in Gaza.” Like Arab countries, Iran, and Turkey, they have turned the Palestinian issue into a tool to legitimize their authority, both inside Yemen and across the Arab and Islamic world.

Saudi Arabia, visibly deterred, declined to join the American-led coalition aimed at stopping Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel. Instead, Riyadh sought China’s mediation with Iran. The Kingdom is now lobbying Trump to re-engage diplomatically with Tehran, despite previously backing his withdrawal from the JCPOA. Ultimately, the Houthis have successfully deterred Saudi Arabia and sidelined regional powers like the UAE and Egypt.

Israel’s Long-Range Bombing Only Made the Houthis Stronger

Israel’s long-range airstrikes have failed. Despite flying over 2,000 kilometers to hit Houthi positions in Yemen, the Eritrean- and Iranian-backed Houthis have not only survived but escalated. They successfully shut down Israel’s southern port of Eilat and launched missile and drone attacks deep into Israeli territory, sending millions into shelters in the middle of the night.

Israeli fighter jets responded with three rounds of airstrikes, including a large-scale operation called Tzelilei HaKerem, involving 25 Israeli Air Force aircraft targeting military sites, including the Hodeidah port, oil facilities, power stations, Sanaa Airport, Al-Dailami Air Base, and energy infrastructure.

The strikes emboldened the Houthis, swelling their ranks with new Yemeni recruits motivated by a populist narrative wrapped in “solidarity with Palestine.” Like Iran and Turkey, the Houthis have weaponized the Palestinian cause, not to aid Gaza, but to legitimize their authoritarian rule in Yemen.

Even with full-scale ground and air campaigns, Israel has not dismantled Hamas, another brutal terrorist group in Gaza, or rescued all hostages in Gaza. Believing that distant air raids can neutralize the more entrenched Houthis — deep in Yemen’s unforgiving mountainous terrain — is not just naïve; it’s a dangerous fantasy.

America Is Wasting Billions While Losing the War

The ongoing U.S. airstrikes in Yemen have failed — strategically, militarily, and morally. In January 2024, under President Joe Biden, a joint U.S.-UK campaign targeted Houthi military infrastructure in response to attacks on Red Sea shipping and Israel. By January 2025, over 931 airstrikes had been conducted.

Again, President Donald Trump launched an extensive U.S. military operation in March 2025 to dismantle Houthi radar systems, air defenses, and missile launch sites. This strategy has not only failed but also backfired. The air campaign has intensified, but there has been no reduction in Houthi aggression.

Instead, Yemenis — mainly civilians and refugees — bear the brunt. The tragedy of refugees in Yemen caught in U.S. airstrikes in April 2025 is shameful. With each bomb dropped, the Houthis gain more recruits, legitimacy, and propaganda ammunition.

More than that, the Houthis scored their biggest win against America: the U.S. Navy lost a $60–70 million fighter jet. The jet fell into the sea as the USS Truman made a sharp turn to avoid a Houthi missile attack. The Houthis are using missiles and drones worth only a few thousand dollars, while the U.S. spends millions per weapon and billions on operations. It is not only ineffective, but also financially unsustainable.