European nations pass on US-led response to Houthis' Red Sea aggression, putting NATO into question

United States and U.K. military forces through this weekend have bombed over a dozen targets allegedly utilized by Houthi rebels, sparking vows of retaliation from the Yemen-based group and perhaps making the prospect of a wider war more likely. 

Conspicuously absent from the latest maneuvers were forces from France and Italy, two founding members of NATO that first deployed a significant naval presence in the Red Sea after Houthis began attacking merchant vessels there late last year.

In addition, Germany is still debating whether it should send vessels to the area, despite calls to do...