Since mid-March, President Trump’s military intervention against the Houthis and their “unrelenting campaign of piracy, violence, and terrorism” has cost the American taxpayer over $1 billion, with the Pentagon spending more than $775 million in bombs and missiles against the militant group. The U.S. Navy has also lost two jets in the Red Sea, costing more than $65 million each.
Considering the hefty cost of this mission and its limited results, the president’s recent announcement of a ceasefire with the Houthis should be a welcome surprise. But despite this positive development, Trump should use this ceasefire as basis for additional diplomacy.
Although the Houthis and the U.S. have agreed not to target each other, the truce does not apply to Israel, and tit-for-tat strikes have continued. If the president wants to end Houthi belligerency in the region once and for all and avoid being pulled back into the conflict, he should push for a renewed ceasefire in Gaza.
The recent Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and on Israel were not random — they are inextricably linked to Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the breakdown of the Trump-brokered ceasefire that Israel and Hamas signed in January. Notably, the Houthis stopped attacking all merchant ships once the ceasefire was agreed upon.
Among other conditions, the January ceasefire called for an increase in the aid flowing into Gaza and negotiations on a second phase of the deal to begin 16 days after the agreement was signed. The latter stipulation was reneged upon by the Israelis as the country’s leadership “refused to enter talks on the specific terms of phase two.”
Israel’s decision to launch a blockade on all aid entering the Gaza Strip in early March caused renewed headaches with the Houthis, as the armed group resumed its attacks on Israeli ships in the Red Sea. The eventual resumption of Israel’s war in Gaza on Mar. 18 led to an even further expansion of the turmoil in the region, as the Houthis launched their first ballistic missiles at Israel in the two months since the ceasefire took effect.
Instead of pressuring Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to uphold the terms of the very ceasefire that he helped broker, Trump signaled to the Israelis that they were the ones in control and wouldn’t be pressured by the Americans to follow the agreement.
As early as late February, Trump stated that he was fine with any decision Israel wanted to make, whether resuming the war or continuing the ceasefire. Trump also gave the “green light” to Israel to renew its assault on Gaza, as the president was informed beforehand about the plans to bomb the strip once again.
Although the current truce between the Houthis and the United States is a step toward regional de-escalation, the situation remains precarious.
The Houthis have said they would not “allow an Israeli ship to arrive to its port until the aggression against Gaza is stopped and the siege is lifted.” The uncertainty from the continued hostilities has been felt in global commerce as the top five container shipping companies have no immediate plans to return to the region despite the truce. The Wall Street Journal has reported that shippers believe the “area will remain volatile as the war continues.”
The durable solution to the Houthi problem is a renewed ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. This outcome would be beneficial to both global commerce and American and Israeli interests.
Although Trump can attempt to maintain the current ceasefire with the Houthis, the continued conflict between Israel and the militant group could risk pulling the U.S. military back into a costly intervention. Rather than taking on more costs to provide cover for Israel’s protracted war, President Trump should fulfill his pledge to be a “peacemaker” by calling for a renewed and durable ceasefire in Gaza.
Kevin Joseph is a contributing fellow at Defense Priorities.
