Pro-Houthi Shiite Muslims holding up guns shout slogans during an Ashura Day procession in Sana'a, Yemen on August 19.

Photo: yahya arhab/Shutterstock

This is getting to be a habit, and an embarrassing one. An adversary courted by the Biden Administration ignores U.S. pleas and continues waging war against an ally, and the Biden State Department issues a stern lecture in a press release.

One of President Biden’s first acts in office was ending U.S. weapons support for Saudi Arabia in its war against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. The U.S. hoped the concession would persuade the Houthis to negotiate. Instead they have escalated.

In late August, Houthi drones struck a civilian airport in Abha in Saudi Arabia, wounding eight civilians and damaging a commercial airliner. The State Department “strongly” condemned the attack, adding that “we again call on the Houthis to uphold a ceasefire and engage in negotiations under UN auspices.”

A few days later the militia sent missiles into Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, injuring two children and damaging homes. “This is completely unacceptable. These attacks threaten the lives of the Kingdom’s residents, including more than 70,000 U.S. citizens,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

“We once again urge the Houthis to agree to a comprehensive ceasefire immediately and to stop these cross-border attacks and attacks inside of Yemen, particularly their offensive on Marib, which is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and prolonging the conflict. The Houthis must begin working toward a peaceful, diplomatic solution under UN auspices to end this conflict,” Mr. Blinken added.

The Houthis “must” negotiate a peaceful solution, or what? Mr. Blinken will issue another press release? The State Department says the Houthis have attacked Saudi Arabia more than 240 times since the beginning of this year, which coincides with the Biden peace offering. Some 70,000 Americans live in the Kingdom and could become casualties.

The liberal internationalists who run the State Department seem to believe that asserting a demand for a diplomatic solution will make it so. But as with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Houthis and their Iranian backers believe they can win the war without negotiating as they see the U.S. retreat and abandon its allies. All of Antony Blinken’s protests won’t stop a missile in mid-flight.