Biden has little choice but to hit the Houthis

The trouble with ultimatums is that when they are ignored the only option left is to go ahead with the threat implied in the ultimatum or face derision. So when the US, Britain and other nations warned the Houthis in Yemen that if they continued to launch drones and missiles at shipping in the Red Sea they would face the consequences, everyone assumed that meant there would be retaliatory airstrikes on targets in Yemen. The Houthis have called their bluff by firing a barrage of drones and cruise missiles across the Red Sea last night. They were all shot down, so no harm done to commercial ships. But the fact is, the Houthis have ignored the ultimatum. Joe Biden should even now be authorising strikes on Houthi launch sites in Yemen. But Biden knows that if he does order strikes, it will be seen as a major step towards a more expansive Middle East war, precisely what he wants to avoid. But if he doesn't, it will be interpreted as Washington backing down, and the Houthis will fire more missiles. I suspect what will happen is that Biden will order limited strikes, to take out one of the Houthi missile-launch sites in southern Yemen, and then will warn that more strikes will follow if the Houthis continue to fire missiles. A step-by-step approach. Doing nothing would undermine Washington's deterrence strategy in the Red Sea. None of this is helped by having his defence secretary in hospital, able to give his advice but not in the most ideal circumstances.