The U.S. and UK have struck targets in Yemen
The Bab el Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea: a naval coalition in response to the attacks on shipping in the Middle East
The conflict in the Middle East was sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel, and now the counteroffensives on the Houthis have widened it. The U.S. has urged Israel to wrap up its incursion into Gaza, or at least stop the intense bombing that has led to a large number of civilian deaths and a humanitarian catastrophe.
The recent and repeated attacks by the Houthis on shipping in the Red Sea have led to the creation of a naval coalition, led by the US and including some two dozen countries.
The final draft is weaker, eliminating any U.N. recognition of a country’s right to defend its ships. Instead, it would affirm that the navigational rights and freedoms of merchant and commercial vessels must be respected, and take note “of the right of member states, in accordance with international law, to defend their vessels from attacks, including those that undermine navigational rights and freedoms.”
The U.S. claims the attacks on international shipping in the waterway are not just an assault on the country but a broader attack on international trade.
Europe and the Middle East can be reached via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, a narrow canal in the Red Sea. The strait is only 18 miles wide at its narrowest point, limiting traffic to two channels for inbound and outbound shipments, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. It is one of the places where 10% of all oil traded at sea passes through each year.
The Israeli Attack on the Gaza Strip and the Iranian-Brane Insurgency in the Red Sea, and its Implications for the United States
The Israelis are targeting the Gaza Strip in an ongoing war with Hamas. However, the links to the ships targeted in the rebel assaults have grown more tenuous as the attacks continue.
“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 protect lives and the economy.”
The British Defense Secretary stated that the assault was the largest attack by the Iranians in the Red Sea so far.
18 drones, two cruise missiles, and the anti-ship missile were shot down by F-18s, as well as by other American Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, it said.
The assault happened off the Yemeni port cities of Hodeida and Mokha, according to the private intelligence firm Ambrey. In the Hodeida attack ships described over radio seeing missiles and drones, with U.S.-armed warships in the area urging vessels to proceed at maximum speed.
Off Mokha, ships saw missiles fired, a drone in the air and small vessels trailing them, Ambrey said early Wednesday. The British military acknowledges the attack off Hodeida.
What will the current US attack on Yemen mean for Iran in the region? Will they increase their attacks on ships or troops? Will Iran get more involved? Iran has sent a ship into the Red Sea.
The United States says it killed a senior Iranian-affiliated militia leader in Baghdad, named Abu Taqwa, who it says had been behind attacks on its forces. The attack incensed some Iraqi leaders who said the killing violated its sovereignty and raised questions about ongoing U.S. presence.
After the Israel attack on Gaza, it exchanged fire with Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, as well as killing a senior Hamas official.
The war in the Middle East expanded prior to the U.S. strikes in Yemen. Iranian-backed militias have continued attacks on U.S. forces in Syria and Iraq, with the Pentagon logging some 120 attacks since October. A recent assault in Irbil, Iraq, left three U.S. service members wounded, one critically with a head wound from shrapnel.
The United States has been pressing for a more focused ground campaign in Gaza, an increase in humanitarian aid there and protection of civilians.
U.S. actions against the Houthis: A global crisis caused by weak presidential leadership, according to a former Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie
Maersk said that the security risk continues to be at a high level, due to the constant evolving and highly volatile situation. All Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea will be diverted south around the Cape of Good Hope for the foreseeable future.
The Houthis — more so than other Iranian-supported groups, like the Palestinian group Hamas or Hezbollah in Lebanon — have a sophisticated arsenal of weapons provided by Iran, he says, including medium-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching southern Israel as well as an array of drones.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, believes the U.S. strikes were designed to send a message.
Teheran and its proxies are pressing their attacks because they haven’t confronted steel. The ability to stop probing depends on the response from the attackers.
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 caused by weak presidential leadership,” Wicker said in the news release. “It is time for President Biden to allow our regional commanders the freedom of action they need to end terrorist behavior by the Houthis.”
Turner, who heads the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC’s This Week that the Biden administration needs to take a harder stance against the rebels.
A senior official in Biden’s administration has warned that the Iranian-supported militias would face consequences if the attacks continued. The official said President Biden met with his national security team on New Year’s Day to discuss options.
