U.S. Navy Withdraws Mission in the Red Sea: Is Washington Facing a New Reality?

NYN | Reports and analyses

Reuters has confirmed that the U.S. Navy has reduced its forces in the Red Sea, indicating that Washington’s decision to abandon this mission was unexpected and reflects the United States facing a completely different reality.

In a report published earlier this week, Reuters noted that Washington decided to scale back its forces, which had been stationed in the Red Sea since late 2023, after the USS Eisenhower carrier group spent months countering drones and missiles launched by Houthi forces.

Reuters reported that the battle group in this operation used more Tomahawk missiles than the U.S. military purchased throughout 2023. Nevertheless, Houthi attacks continued, while U.S. warships were no longer close to the area.

The report highlighted that as many commercial ships have avoided passing through the Red Sea, it was unimaginable that the U.S. Navy, the world’s most powerful, would largely abandon its campaign there.

It added, “The fact that the United States has done so indicates its recognition that it is now facing an entirely new era.”

A few days ago, the American website Axios confirmed the absence of any U.S. warships in the Red Sea, while the British newspaper The Telegraph reported that British warships are also no longer present in the area of Operation “Sentinel Watch.”

The Quincy Institute recently reported that the U.S. military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen has failed to achieve its desired goals, wasting over a billion dollars of American taxpayer money in the Red Sea.

The institute argued that the best solution to stop the Houthi attacks is to end U.S. strikes on Yemen and halt the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip, which is considered the main trigger for these attacks.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal pointed out that the burning of the Sana’a government forces’ ship, “Sounion,” serves as evidence of the Biden administration’s failure to address external challenges, revealing the shortcomings of the U.S.-led coalition in escorting ships in the Red Sea.

In its editorial last Friday, the newspaper described the incident involving the “Sounion” in the Red Sea as a “clear failure” of President Biden’s foreign policy.

The newspaper questioned, “Does Biden or any potential candidates have a plan to restore order to the global shipping corridor now controlled by the Houthis?”

It added, “Instead of taking concrete steps such as targeting radars and bombing the group’s missile depots, the U.S.-led international coalition’s effort to escort ships appears to have failed in achieving its objectives.”

Regarding concerns about oil leaks from the “Sounion,” the newspaper commented that “the Houthis, who are launching drones and missiles at ships, will not be swayed by lectures about harming fish and local wildlife.”

The newspaper also asked, “Is it now time to declare the U.S.-led international coalition’s mission to escort ships a failure?”

Finally, the Wall Street Journal warned in its editorial that “the consequences of failing to deter the Houthis could extend to other areas of the region and the world.”

The editorial was in response to new footage broadcast by Sana’a government forces last Thursday evening, documenting the raid and burning of the Greek ship “Sounion,” which was targeted after the owning company violated a decision to ban entry to Israeli ports.

The footage showed Sana’a naval forces soldiers raiding the ship in the open sea, touring its facilities, and then planting and detonating explosive devices along the ship’s main deck, with holes visible on its side from a remote attack before the raid.

The operation was filmed from multiple angles using drones, providing comprehensive coverage.

This footage was released following a speech by the leader of the Houthi group (Ansar Allah), Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, who revealed for the first time details of the “Sounion” ship raid.

Al-Houthi explained that two teams from the naval forces carried out the operations in two stages to destroy the cargo on board the ship after rigging it with explosives and detonating it.

Al-Houthi claimed that the operation documented in the footage exposes the falsity of U.S. claims about its ability to deter Yemeni operations in support of Palestine.

مشاهد اقتحام وإحراق السفينة اليونانية (SOUNION) في البحر الأحمر والتي قامت الشركة المالكة لها بإنتهاك قرار حظر الدخول إلى موانئ فلسطين المحتلة pic.twitter.com/U6U56ME759

— الإعلام الحربي اليمني (@MMY1444) August 29, 2024