The moment
we betrayed the Saudis they turned from us, got more buddy buddy with Russia / China, and decided to play neutral / nice with the Houtis. Problem with being a US ally is we don't let our allies win. We hold them back. We hold them to a different standard than the rest of the world would. Sometimes it is deeply unrealistic and costly to us all.
Iran is the arms supply for the Houtis. Either we kill the dealer, or we kill the user.
If we're talking about defeating a people militarily, of course it can be done. But we don't have the stomach for getting our hands dirty. For acting like Russia or the rest of the world. If they had the power they would not hesitate in this situation.
Is it wrong to NOT want to surround them, and bomb their cities into husks? To control the flow of material until there are no more drones and missiles?
Many people here no doubt view staying our hand as the moral decision. To be clear, I respect that. While I would make a different choice, I do respect yours and if that is what prevails in our nation's decision making, then whatever. While the Houtis are hurting a great many people by their actions, it's not like they are invading other nations. Not stopping them is a decision I can live with. The primary contention is I'm not going to pretend it is the only option. If the Houtis block the Red Sea, and the Suez Canal, that is a choice we are making to not get our hands dirty to solve a military problem.
A long term solution necessarily involves local and regional partners who are interested in keeping the peace, and waterways open. I would not mind seeing Yemen cease to exist and Saudis control that land indefinitely. Or Egypt for that matter. If they care about their canal. There are solutions, we just do not appear to want them. So maybe China / Russia / Iran control that water way now. Heck of an economic boon to them. They could blackmail Europe with the Suez under their control.