Why is Trump bombing Yemen?

Why is Trump bombing Yemen?

The United States' latest bombing campaign against Yemen is aimed at stopping Houthi attacks on shipping lanes in the Red Sea, and it is also intended to send a signal to Iran.

Just two days before Israel resumed its full-scale genocide in the Gaza Strip, the United States launched a bombing campaign in Yemen.

This aggression is an important part of the plans of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump to bring endless war and destruction to the Middle East.

Although Israel and the United States have informed each other of these operations, both countries have presented their actions as independent but cooperative activities. Of course, this is partly an attempt to hide the fact that Israel cannot continue its brutal genocide in Gaza without US financial support.

But there is another aspect to Trump. He likes to portray his and Netanyahu's approach as an act of independent but allied states pursuing their own interests. He seeks to create the image that Israel is setting its own course and the United States is pursuing its own interests. But that image crumbles as soon as Trump wants Israel or anyone else to act according to his wishes.

The US focus is on Yemen, not Gaza, allowing Netanyahu to continue the large-scale genocide that Trump has ignored. Trump may fantasize about having a saucy night out with Netanyahu on the Gaza Strip, but there are American companies that have a vested interest in preventing Ansar Allah (commonly known as the Houthis) from protecting and acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

While Trump's motives have always seemed a bit unclear, it is as much a result of his haste and ignorance as it is part of a well-thought-out plan. But the US clearly has an interest in stopping Ansarullah's attacks on Red Sea ships, and Washington is still reluctant to take the only clear way to achieve this - forcing Israel to lift its blockade of Gaza. These factors appear to be among the reasons for the US's continued attacks on Yemen.

Everything is about Iran

In the broadest sense, the issue is, as always, about Iran. It is no coincidence that the attacks, first on Yemen and then on Gaza, came after Trump sent a letter to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in early March calling for new negotiations on the nuclear deal.

In the letter, Trump reportedly gave Iran two months to reach a new deal, a move that Iran has already said will not be drawn into new talks under threat or pressure. The statement came in response to Trump's threat of war if Iran does not agree.

"We're at the breaking point with Iran. We're in the final moments. They can't have a nuclear weapon. Something is going to happen soon. I would prefer a peace deal to the other option, but that other option would solve the problem," Trump told reporters on March 7.

The two-month timeframe is also consistent with a US intelligence assessment, developed in the final days of the Joe Biden administration and confirmed by early assessments from the Trump administration, that Israel could strike Iran's nuclear facilities in the first half of 2025.

If this is part of Trump's plan, he doesn't have to directly carry out his threat, just support Israel.

This also explains why Trump has been so keen to blame Iran for Ansarullah's activities. While many knowledgeable experts agree that Iran and Ansarullah have friendly relations, and that Iran supports the Yemeni group, Ansarullah does not act under Iranian command or control. On Monday, a report that Iran had asked Ansarullah to de-escalate its confrontation with the United States was flatly denied. This behavior is certainly not that of a puppet group.

Ansarullah vowed to continue its attacks in the Red Sea until Israel lifted its blockade of Gaza. This was their position from the beginning, when they launched their attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians and stopped their attacks during the "temporary peace" in Gaza, although Israel repeatedly violated it. They only resumed their operations after Israel reimposed a full blockade on Gaza.

What does Trump want to achieve in Yemen?

Ansarullah's attacks in the Red Sea have had a significant impact on shipping in the region. While ships used to be able to travel from Asia and East Africa through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, many are now forced to return south, around the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa, and then north. This significantly increases the cost of shipping all types of goods and, combined with the increased insurance costs caused by Ansarullah attacks, is causing significant economic damage to the shipping industry and the export and import of goods, far outweighing the loss of ships and goods.

This economic impact is the most significant material damage inflicted against Israel's genocidal actions. Of course, this has not stopped Israel or the United States.

But Ansarullah has done something that even the combined efforts of Hezbollah, Iran, and various other armed groups have failed to do - it has managed to inflict some damage on Israel's genocidal actions. Aside from these attacks and a few drones and missiles, Ansarullah's military inability to match the United States makes Yemen a convenient target for Trump's violence.

Trump's main goal is to give orders and directives and have them carried out out of respect or fear. He knows that many of his supporters want to avoid another foreign war. For this reason, he prefers to force Iran to give up its nuclear program and impose any other conditions on them. If that fails, he may seriously consider offering Israel the necessary assistance to attack Iran.

This is not Trump's first choice, as such a move would cause major problems for Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and other Arab allies in the Gulf. It is also true that these countries have enough influence in Washington to convince Trump that an all-out Israeli attack on Iran is a bad idea. Regardless of what American intelligence concludes, Israel cannot carry out a major attack on Iran's nuclear facilities without US support.

Because it's complicated, Trump is using force against weak nations to achieve his goals. Trump's plan, as he did with Ukraine, is to make it clear that the people he's dealing with have no real chance.

While Ansarullah has said it will "respond to escalation with escalation," attack more ships, and even fire some missiles at U.S. allies in the region, they are unlikely to actually cause significant damage to American targets. Trump is thus hoping that he can force Ansarullah to retreat, which will create a sense of desperation in Tehran.

This plan is unlikely to work, despite US support, for reasons such as Israel's failure to defeat Hamas in Gaza for so long and after the massacre. Iran is doing everything it can to avoid a conflict with the US, but it is unwilling to simply obey Trump's orders.

Ansarullah has greatly increased its profile in the region, even in Yemen, where many have opposed it. Their support for the Palestinian cause has earned them great prestige and popularity even among their opponents. They are unlikely to retreat, and Trump is unlikely to seek an invasion of Yemen, which is the only military option to stop the attacks. Instead, he could intensify the bombing of Yemen's major cities, further destroying an already devastated country and increasing the already horrific death toll.

All of this is to prevent the people of Gaza from receiving food, water, medicine, and shelter.

Mitchell Plitnick, political commentator