Yemen has endured 12 years of a Saudi-led campaign backed by the United States, while Sanaa's airspace remains restricted and Riyadh opens its skies to Israeli flights. Answering a blockade with pressure on a vital maritime corridor is justified self-defense, not unprovoked aggression, and the Red Sea gives Yemenis leverage they otherwise lack. Years of bombing, isolation and relentless economic pressure cannot continue indefinitely without provoking a forceful response.