this post was submitted on 10 May 2025
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Trump's announcement on Tuesday that the US would cease bombing the Houthis, not even two months after he foolishly escalated the cynical sea-and-air assault he inherited from the Biden administration, came as a surprise, particularly while Sanaa International Airport lay smoking on Monday from Israeli warplanes. But the year-long US campaign, from the start, lacked any theory of victory.

Any de-escalation in this frightening Middle Eastern moment is cause for relief, particularly as the Yemen Data Project claims US-led strikes last month alone killed 208 civilians, including 17 children, and wounded 366 more. The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, frustrated the Navy, rather than defeated it outright. And Trump can say whatever he likes to portray this as a victory. But the material realities in Yemen and the Red Sea, as well as both presidents' objectives for the air-sea campaign, make the US capitulation undeniable.

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[–] FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

the year-long US campaign, from the start, lacked any theory of victory.

It is so bonkers to me, as a civilian, that our government gets into these wars without any idea of what victory means, and so many Americans don't give a second thought to the prospect of a indefinite (ie, permanent) war. In the case of Yemen, they apparently didn't even plan the logistics well, given the stories about ammunition running low.

It's almost as if a drunk sailor was put in charge of this debacle.

Apart from just mercenary vengeance for the Israels and Saudi Arabia, what exactly was the point here?

[–] sxan@midwest.social 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

It's almost as if a drunk sailor was put in charge of this debacle.

Or... senile geriatrics?

[–] Zero22xx@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 5 days ago

Or a reality star and news reader. Even if they weren't both cooked in their heads, it's still a reality star running a country and a news reader running the military.

[–] rbesfe@lemmy.ca 2 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The Houthis agreed to stop attacking merchant ships, which was the whole reason they were being bombed in the first place. If they start again they can probably expect the air strikes to resume.

[–] geneva_convenience@lemmy.ml 1 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

No they stopped attacking all merchant ships except Israeli ones after Israel violated the March ceasefire. They say they still will attack any Israeli ship passing through.

There was never a blockade on other trade ships that only came when those countries attacked them to keep Israel's genocide going.

Then the Houthi's clearly stated that there was a blockade on those countries too until they would stop attacking. Which they now did.

[–] Sanctus@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Come July, remember this.