The Honey Badgers Of Yemen: Why U.S. Airstrikes Haven’t Broken The Houthis' Will

For weeks, U.S. airstrikes have relentlessly targeted Houthi positions across Yemen — from oil refineries and airports to missile launch sites. President Trump has vowed to use “overwhelming force” until Washington achieves its goal: stopping Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The Houthis launched their campaign in solidarity with Palestinians after Israel's war in Gaza erupted in October 2023. Since then, they’ve carried out over 100 attacks, sinking two ships. The impact has been massive: nearly 70% of Red Sea merchant traffic now takes the longer, more costly route around southern Africa.

The Biden-to-Trump handoff in Yemen policy may have brought a shift in tone, but the challenge remains the same: the Houthis won’t back down.

National Security Advisor Mike Waltz claims the U.S. campaign is making progress, citing the deaths of several Houthi leaders. Yet every new round of strikes seems to provoke even more resistance.

“They’re like the honey badger of the Middle East,” said one veteran observer — referencing the famously fearless mammal that shrugs off snake bites before pouncing back. And that metaphor seems apt.

Despite reports that as many as 80 Houthi officers have been killed, the group’s senior leadership and several missile-launch sites remain intact. Since mid-March, the Houthis have fired a dozen ballistic missiles at Israel and launched multiple drone and missile salvos at U.S. Navy ships. While these have caused little damage, the threat is far from neutralized.

According to CNN, the U.S. campaign has cost nearly $1 billion in under three weeks. Yet officials admit it has had only limited success in degrading the group’s capabilities.

“We’re burning through readiness — munitions, fuel, deployment time,” one official said.

A Defiant Force That Thrives on Pressure

The Houthis are not backing down. In fact, they’ve threatened to extend their range of attacks to the United Arab Emirates — which supports the rival Yemeni government — and Saudi Arabia has placed its air defenses on high alert.

A Houthi spokesman declared, “The dozens of airstrikes on Yemen will not deter the Yemeni Armed Forces from fulfilling their religious, moral, and humanitarian duties.”

While the strikes may have disrupted some of the Houthis’ drone production and supply lines — especially those entering via sea and through Oman — their core military capability endures.

“They’re incredibly tough,” says Michael Knights of the Washington Institute. “They’re ideological, tribal, and used to fighting first-world militaries.”

The group’s resilience is bolstered by an extensive smuggling network. Conflict Armament Research recently revealed that intercepted shipments contained advanced drone parts, including turbojet engines and hydrogen fuel cells — enabling UAVs with longer range and greater payloads.

The Houthis have weathered numerous offensives — from former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, a Saudi-led coalition, and now a joint effort by Israel, the UK, and the U.S. Their secretive leadership and internal structure remain a puzzle to Western intelligence.

“The U.S. still doesn’t understand them,” says Yemen analyst Ahmed Nagi. “Airstrikes didn’t work under Biden, and they’re unlikely to work now.”

Ground Game: The Only Way?

Elisabeth Kendall, a leading Yemen expert, questions the point of continued bombing. “The Houthis have been bombed tens of thousands of times and are still standing. This looks more like political theater than strategy.”

Knights agrees that the only path to meaningful change is a ground campaign. “You can’t break them with airpower alone,” he told CNN. “To end this permanently, you’d need to remove them from the capital, from the Red Sea coast — from power itself.”

Analysts suggest the Houthis could be dislodged only by a coordinated offensive involving Yemeni forces supported by the UAE, and possibly backed by Saudi and U.S. naval assets.

While the U.S. is unlikely to deploy large numbers of troops, it may provide special forces and key logistical support. “The troops are already trained and equipped,” Knights said. “The UAE would quietly back them, as it has for years.”

Saudi Arabia’s role remains murky. Riyadh is wary of Houthi retaliation via drone and missile strikes, though the U.S. has recently stepped up missile defense support to the Kingdom.

Iran’s Role — Supportive, Yet Cautious

From day one, President Trump has tied the Houthis to Iran, warning Tehran that it would be held accountable for every Houthi attack. Yet so far, Iran has avoided direct consequences.

While aligned with Iran’s “Axis of Resistance,” the Houthis remain autonomous. Former Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander Mohsen Rezaee praised the “barefooted resistance fighters” of Yemen, but Tehran appears to be treading carefully — offering only moral support while gauging Washington’s next move.

Trump’s administration sees the Houthi campaign and its pressure strategy on Tehran as interconnected. And with U.S. bombers and refueling aircraft now deployed to Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, the message is clear: escalation remains on the table.

As the conflict stretches on, one thing is certain — the Houthis, like the honey badger, aren’t afraid of a fight. The coming weeks may test just how far the U.S. is willing to go to break that fearless resistance.\