Houthis are pushing their luck

The Houthis had got away with their outrageous barrage of drones and cruise missiles and ballistic missiles flying over the Red Sea from Yemen on a regular basis in the last two months. Today the impunity they had enjoyed - apart from losing most of them by being shot down by US warships - has ended. Three of the four boats the Houthis had sent to harrass and fire on a commercial tanker in the Red Sea were blasted out of the water by US armed helicopters operating from the carrier, USS Dwight D Eisenhower, and another warship. This was the first time the US had struck back at the Houthis and should serve as a warning to the Islamic, Iran-backed rebels, that in future any time they threaten commercial shipping they are going to get zapped. It's about time. The Houthis have played an extraordinary role in this developing Middle East war, firing off missiles and drones whenever they want and getting nothing in return. They seem to have an inexhaustible supply of missiles, thanks to Iran. But perhaps the strike-back by the US Navy today will make them think twice about their targeting of commercial shipping.