The largest Red Sea aerial attack by Yemen’s rebel group took place, with no damage reported
The U.N. Security Council voted against the Houthi attacks and the November 19 hijacking of a Philippine ship – an example for the Galaxy Leader
According to the United Nations, hundreds of thousands of people have died in the conflict between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and the Iranian-aligned Iran-aligned Houthis.
The international community made a strong response to the reckless attacks. Last month, the United States launched Operation Prosperity Guardian — a coalition of more than 20 nations committed to defending international shipping and deterring Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. More than 40 nations joined us in condemning the threats of the Houthis. Last week, together with 13 allies and partners, we issued an unequivocal warning that Houthi rebels would bear the consequences if their attacks did not cease. And yesterday, the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution demanding the Houthis end attacks on merchant and commercial vessels.
The final draft is weaker, eliminating any U.N. recognition of a country’s right to defend its ships. It would affirm that the rights of merchant and commercial vessels must be respected and that those who undermine their rights have a duty to defend them in accordance with international law.
Perhaps the most audacious Houthi operation came on Nov. 19, when gunmen hijacked a vessel named the Galaxy Leader and took it to a Yemeni port, holding its 25 crew members, mainly Filipinos, captive.
The Red Sea as a Gateway to the Middle East: The latest U.S. strike on Yemen and the Iranian-backed Houthis
The Red Sea connects the Middle East and Asia to Europe through the Suez Canal. The U.S. Energy Information Administration says the strait is only 18 miles wide and limits traffic to two channels for outbound shipments. A little more than 10% of oil traded at sea passes through the strait, and an estimated $1 trillion in goods pass through it annually.
The Houthis will “continue to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from navigating in the Red Sea until the aggression stops and the siege on our steadfast brothers in the Gaza Strip ends,” Saree said.
“The U.K. alongside allies have previously made clear that these illegal attacks are completely unacceptable and if continued the Houthis will bear the consequences,” Shapps said in a statement. We will take the necessary action to protect lives and the economy.
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps described the assault as the largest attack on the Red Sea by the Iranian-backed Houthis.
The drones, two cruise missiles and the anti-ship missile were downed by F-18s from the Dwight D. Eisenhower as well as by American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers the Gravely, the USS Laboon and the United.
The US military’s Central Command said a “complex attack” was launched by the Houthis.
There was a missile fired into the air and small vessels were following them off Mokha. The British military acknowledged the attack off Hodeida.
With the latest U.S. attack on Yemen, what will it mean for Iranian-proxies in the region? Will their attacks increase on shipping or troops? Will Iran get more involved? Iran has sent a ship into the Red Sea.
The US says that Abu Taqwa, a senior Iranian-affiliated leader in Baghdad, was behind attacks on its forces. The killing made Iraqi leaders angry, raised questions about the continued US presence in the country, and incensed some.
And after its attack on Gaza, Israel has exchanged fire with Iranian-backed Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more recently killed a senior Hamas official in Beirut.
Even before the U.S. strikes in Yemen, the Middle East conflict was expanding. Iranian militias are continuing attacks on the U.S. in Syria and Iraq according to the Pentagon. A recent assault in Irbil, Iraq, left three U.S. service members wounded, one critically with a head wound from shrapnel.
A steady stream of officials from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to National Security adviser Jake Sullivan to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have all advocated for a more focused and targeted ground campaign, protection of civilians and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The Interaction Between the Houthis and the U.S.: Why the United States Didn’t Show Up in New Year’s Resolution
“The situation is constantly evolving and remains highly volatile, and all available intelligence at hand confirms that the security risk continues to be at a significantly elevated level,” the shipping giant Maersk said in a statement on Jan. 5. “We have therefore decided that all Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future.”
The arsenal of weapons provided to the Houthis by Iran is more sophisticated than that of other Iranian-supported groups such as the Palestinian group Hamas or Hezbollah, he says.
Behnam Ben Taleblu, who focuses on Iranian security and political issues at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, wonders whether the U.S. strikes were designed to send a message or lead to a broader assault.
“Tehran and its proxies are pressing their attacks because they haven’t confronted steel,” McKenzie wrote. A quick and violent counter attack is what is needed to stop such probing.
One former U.S. regional commander, retired Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, who served as the top officer in the Middle East, said in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece last week that it was time to act against the Houthis, and send a message to Iran.
“This is a global crisis brought on by weak presidential leadership,” Wicker said in a news release on Jan. 4. The time has come for the President to allow our commanders the freedom of action they require to end terrorist behavior by the Houthis.
Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said recently on ABC’s This Week, that the Biden administration must take a tougher stance against the Houthi militants.
For the past week, the Biden administration has been saying that they would likely retaliate against the militant group if they continued their attacks. On New Year’s Day, President Biden met with his national security team to discuss options, the official said.
The United States and a handful of allies, including Britain, struck back, carrying out missile strikes on Houthi targets inside Yemen early Friday local time and thrusting the rebels and their long-running armed struggle further into the limelight.
Hamas and Hezbollah: Israel’s Close Allies and their Oppropriate Role in the War on the Red Sea
Bahrain is the only Middle Eastern country that agreed to participate. Even though many countries in the region depend on trade that goes through the Red Sea, many do not want to be associated with the United States, Israel’s closest ally, analysts say.
The United States, Britain, and other allies formed the task force called “Op Prosperity Guardian” and have been patrolling the Red Sea.
Rerouting vessels around Africa adds 4,000 miles and 10 days to shipping routes, as well as more fuel. But continuing to use the Red Sea would raise insurance premiums. The global economy is already fragile.
The world’s biggest container companies, MSC and Maersk, have said they are avoiding the region, and shipping companies are left with difficult options.
Hamas and Hezbollah, which like the Houthis are backed by Iran, also condemned the strikes. Hamas characterized them as an act of terrorism and a threat to the security of the region.
They have built their ideology around opposition to Israel and the United States, seeing themselves as part of the Iranian-led “axis of resistance,” along with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Their leaders draw parallels between American bombs used in Yemen and the arms sent to Israel and Gaza.
The Gazan Health Ministry stated that more than 30,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive. The Israeli war came in response to the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, the armed group that controls Gaza, that left some 1,200 people dead, according to Israeli officials.
The American-led air strikes against Houthi targets on Yemen’s border: a U.S. ally and a host country
Some people took to the streets in other countries to protest their involvement in the military coalition. The joint statement announcing the strikes said that theBahraini government had “participated in this project.” However, the government has not independently acknowledged its role.
“It is impossible not to denounce that an allied country resorted to this military action, while meanwhile, Israel is continuing to exceed all bounds in its bombardment, brutal war and siege on Gaza without any consequence,” Oman’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Even close U.S. ally Oman, which often mediates between the Houthis and international parties, expressed concern, a reflection of the fear that the American-led action would not deter the Houthis but would only inflame regional conflict.
The strikes will have no consequence other than fueling instability in the region and being a violation of international laws, said a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
In an interview with Al Jazeera, Mr. Abdul Salam signaled that Houthi forces would retaliate for the U.S. strikes, saying, “Now, the response no doubt is going to be wider.”
Many in the Middle East, including some U.S. allies, condemned the American-led airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday and warned that they risked causing a broader conflict in the region.
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