The Houthis recently attacked a Norwegian oil tanker, resulting in ships**, while the United States announced the formation of a Red Sea escort coalition to protect merchant ships from Houthi threats. A number of countries have responded to join the alliance, some of which will be responsible for joint patrols and others will provide intelligence support. Iran, for its part, warned about U.S. actions in the Middle East and said it held the initiative in the Strait of Hormuz. The Houthis claimed that their attacks were a response to Israeli aggression and demanded that Israel stop its aggression before they would stop attacking Israeli merchant ships. The Houthis refused to establish a channel of communication with the United States, saying it would bring them to shame.
The U.S. may not have anticipated the Houthis' swift counterattack, and the U.S. actions against Israel in the current Israeli-Palestinian conflict have angered the Houthis. The Houthis appear to be "blockading" Israel, because if Israel wants to carry out sea transportation, it needs to get Yemeni consent. Despite the ability of the United States to defeat the Houthis, things are not simple. If fighting breaks out between the United States and the Houthis near the Red Sea, it could completely defeat each other. However, once the fighting begins, the Houthis may take drastic action and use drones to attack merchant ships, which will put the United States in a dilemma of "injuring 1,000 enemies and losing 800 of itself."
Despite the United States' powerful missile capabilities, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has revealed the dawn of the "drone age". Compared to U.S. missiles, drones are clearly more expensive to build and difficult to defend against. Considering the length of the Red Sea coastline, it is difficult for the United States to ** the path of action of the Houthis, so it is difficult to achieve the desired results even with the deployment of large troops. At the moment, the main goal of the United States is not to eliminate the Houthis, but to ensure the smooth passage of the Red Sea lanes. As for whether the Red Sea escort fleet formed by the United States will be able to play a role, it remains to be seen. It is worth mentioning that the escalation of the Red Sea blockade by the Houthis has inadvertently benefited China.
Although the Houthis were originally intended to attack Israel, they indirectly promoted the shift from sea to land transportation in Eurasia. To some extent, it will also help increase the influence of China's Belt and Road Initiative. I have to admit that Yemen is indeed quite influential!