Senior U.S. Air Force Commander in the Middle East: Houthis Face Shortage of Weapons and Ammunition

General Alexus Grinkovich, the senior U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East, states that the attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen have decreased due to a shortage of drone and anti-ship ballistic missile supplies. Grinkovich noted the role of U.S. and allied attacks in reducing the threat from the Houthis, saying, "This group was conducting attacks almost daily against commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, launching drones and missiles from areas under their control in Yemen, but continuous retaliatory attacks by the U.S. against this Iran-backed group have certainly impacted their behavior and the number of their attacks, slowing down their operations." According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East also emphasized that the United States did not have an accurate assessment of the Houthis' capabilities before the attacks began, but the challenge ahead is to understand how much weaponry they had to initiate their attacks. He referred to the role of the Islamic Republic in resupplying the Houthis as a "complex factor" and stated, "The United States believes that the Houthis had dozens of anti-ship ballistic missiles at the start of their attacks and launched dozens of missiles, so understanding how much the Iranian government can supply this group is key." General Grinkovich considered the Houthis to be more independent than other Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, noting, "Even if the Islamic Republic wants to suppress the Houthis or cut off their weapons and logistics, it will still take time for the effects of these shortages to become apparent." The Iran-backed Islamist militia, the Houthis, which controls parts of Yemen, began attacking commercial ships and warships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden a few weeks after the outbreak of war between Israel and the 'terrorist' group Hamas, under the pretext of supporting the people of Gaza. The group's attacks are mainly carried out using drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles, but aside from a few, many of their attacks in recent months have failed. The U.S. military, along with a group of allies, neutralizes the attacks of this 'terrorist' group on a daily basis by deploying in the region. With the escalation of attacks by this Iran-backed group last winter, U.S.-led coalition forces targeted Houthi positions in Yemen, destroying a significant portion of their infrastructure. The Biden administration, which had removed the Houthis from the list of terrorist organizations shortly after taking office in January 2021, placed the group back on the list of "specially designated global terrorists" on February 16, 2023.