The Houthis have attacked more than two dozen commercial ships in the Red Sea since mid-November. In an opinion for Asharq Al-Awsat, CERL Executive Board member General Joseph Votel explains why these attacks compelled the United States to launch air strikes in Yemen, the importance of holding Iran to account, and what can be done to restore free-flowing commercial transit in international waters.

General Joseph L. Votel, U.S. Army (Ret.) is the former Commander of the U.S. Central Command. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow on National Security at the Middle East Institute and a member of the CERL Executive Board. Read his bio here.

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