Trump warns he will "take care" of any Houthi Red Sea blockade
"We see what happens. So far it hasn't happened might happen. Uh but we take care of things. If something like that happens, we take care of it."
About this episode
Breaking Points focused on Lebanon and Red Sea tensions, framing both through US policy choices and regional power dynamics. One segment cited a Wall Street Journal report about US, Israeli and Lebanese officials exploring options to disarm Hezbollah, including training and vetting elite Lebanese Armed Forces units; the hosts argued the approach risks internal conflict and questioned how feasible it is given Hezbollah’s embedded influence in Lebanese politics and security institutions. They also discussed Syria’s role in potential supply-line interdiction, claiming Israeli strikes degraded Syria’s state capacity while Israel simultaneously seeks Syrian action against smuggling routes.
The programme then turned to Donald Trump’s meeting with Lebanon’s president, including Trump’s reported Truth Social post saying he was directing his administration to allow US airlines to fly directly to Lebanon. The hosts speculated about the domestic political implications inside Lebanon.
Finally, they covered Houthi threats to restrict maritime traffic linked to Saudi ports through the Bab el-Mandeb strait, with the hosts saying some Saudi tankers had altered course. The episode played a clip of Trump saying the US would “take care” of any attempted blockade, while noting a claimed US-Houthi ceasefire that does not bind other actors. The segment briefly touched on oil-market vulnerability and US strategic petroleum reserve drawdowns before moving into omitted self-promotion.
Key takeaways
- Hosts cited a Wall Street Journal report on proposals involving training/vetting elite Lebanese Armed Forces units as part of efforts to disarm Hezbollah.
- They argued the proposed approach could incentivise prolonged internal conflict, rather than a stable disarmament process.
- The episode claimed Israeli strikes weakened Syria’s security infrastructure, complicating any expectation that Syria could interdict smuggling routes between Iran and Hezbollah.
- The show recounted Trump’s Truth Social post saying he was directing his administration to allow US airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon.
- Hosts discussed Houthi warnings that Saudi-linked shipping would be barred from the Bab el-Mandeb strait, and said some Saudi tankers had turned around.
- An Oval Office clip showed Trump saying the US would “take care” of any Red Sea blockade if it occurred.