The Armed Forces of the United States and the United Kingdom carried out a massive air and missile strike against sites in Yemen associated with attacks on commercial maritime traffic in the international waters of the Red Sea. My colleague Nick Arama covered Biden’s announcement last night. I’m going to try to fill in some details of why this attack happened now, what, if anything, it accomplished, and what happens next.
BACKGROUND: BREAKING: US, UK Start Attacks on Houthis; Biden Issues Statement, Then Calls Lid
Why Now?
After a couple of dozen attacks on shipping in international waters and a handful of stern warnings, it is fair to ask why the attack came when it did.
While pressure had been building for a while to do something about the effect Houthi missile and drone attacks were having on international commerce, the proximate cause came Thursday when four US-flagged ships…
