NYN | News
The United States and its allies are facing growing challenges in the Red Sea following a series of sophisticated attacks that led to the sinking of two commercial vessels in a short span of time. Experts have described this development as marking a new phase of pressure on Israel and revealing advanced operational capabilities by Sanaa-based forces.
The Associated Press quoted security experts as saying that the recent attacks off the Yemeni coast were complex in nature, carried out with high precision, and resulted in the sinking of two ships within just a few days — a reflection, they noted, of a significant evolution in the maritime tactics being employed.
According to the agency, this escalation highlights yet another failure of U.S. and Israeli military strikes in Yemen, which appear to have been ineffective in curbing the naval capabilities of the Houthis (Ansar Allah) or deterring them from continuing to target shipping routes connected to Israel.
In a broader analysis, Western experts believe the Houthis have now become a genuine threat to U.S. presence in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, having demonstrated the ability to carry out coordinated and precise operations whose impact extends beyond the immediate geography to strategic implications for regional and global security.
One military analyst stated that the Houthis’ maritime operations represent a “strategic pressure tool,” with effects that surpass those of rocket attacks from Gaza. This is because their actions directly affect the global economy and maritime supply chains — forcing Washington and its allies to reconsider their approach to confrontation.
Recent developments suggest that Sanaa’s forces have shifted from a reactive posture to an operational initiative phase, while the U.S. Navy is visibly struggling to secure Israeli-linked shipping routes from naval drone or guided missile attacks.
Observers argue that the sinking of two ships in a matter of days — and the forced withdrawal of global insurance companies from covering Israel-affiliated vessels — means that Sanaa is no longer a marginal player in the conflict equation, but rather a key actor capable of influencing major international calculations.
As the targeting operations continue and expand in scope, Washington finds itself in a complicated predicament: each aerial escalation against Sanaa is met with even more disruptive maritime retaliation, all while regional and international pressure mounts to end the war on Gaza.
