Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis will escalate their attacks on ships in the Red Sea and other waters and have introduced “submarine weapons”, in continued solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza war, the group’s leader said on Thursday.
Houthi militants have launched repeated drone and missile strikes in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab Strait and Gulf of Aden since November in support of Palestinians, as the Israel-Gaza war continues and the Palestinian death toll reaches almost 30,000.
“Operations in the Red and Arabian Seas, Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Gulf of Aden are continuing, escalating, and effective,” Abdul Malik al-Houthi added in a televised speech. He gave no details of the submarine weapons.
The group’s strikes are disrupting a route that accounts for about 12 per cent of global maritime traffic, and forcing firms to take a longer, more expensive route around Africa.
Earlier on Thursday, two missiles set ablaze a ship some 70 nautical miles southeast of Aden, Yemen, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency said. The vessel and crew were reported safe and are proceeding to the next port of call, it said in a later update.
Here are the top political news stories for today.
I feel like this has the basis of a good drinking game: every time the media uses the qualifier "Iran-backed" we take a drink. It's so obvious this is going to end with the American invasion of Iran, as per Saudi wishes.
When will realize that we aren't very good at fighting guerrilla wars? We continue to think that Patton's Third Army is still rolling across Europe. We tried to bomb an agrarian country (Vietnam) into submission and failed. We failed at the same mission in Afghanistan. All the planes and bombs in the world can't subdue brave fighters on their home turf. There are no ball bearing factories to bomb in Yemen. Add an addled, feckless commander in chief and we're headed for another humiliation.
Exactly. Likud and Saudi Arabia have been trying to drag America into a shooting war with Iran for the last 15 - 20 years.. The Houthis were an organic Yemeni group who rose up against the influence of Saudi Arabia in Yemen, long, long before any involvement of Iran.. But you cannot read any western news report that does not repeat the phrase "Iranian-backed Houthi rebels", as if Iran somehow started this war. The exact opposite is true. Saudi Arabia started the war in Yemen, and is 100% responsible for the humanitarian disaster that has occurred there.
Let's not downplay the fact that the Houthis are skilled warriors who are, in fact, killing people.
Describing them as “ragtag” and “scrappy” makes them sound like the cast of Little Orphan Annie, and downplays the tremendous disruptions they are causing on an international scale. It also masks the fact that they aren’t just attacking ships; they are killing people in the process of doing so.
Well armed and trained insurgents can go on forever creating lots of damage and chaos and fear. That’s their goal, that’s their job. They aren’t there to achieve any goals. There is no end game or day after.
@IntrepidRaisinsGreen2yrs2Y
To me it makes them sound like the American irregulars who did so well against the well armed and funded British forces the American Colonies in the 1700's. That is what comes to mind immediately with those words. Being picked off in the woods by marksmen honed by years of living and hunting, dressed in buckskins.
@ThrilledOilGreen2yrs2Y
The Houthis are not winning because they have adapted commercial off-the-shelf radar.
They are winning because they have the support of a majority of the population of Yemen.
This war started because the people of Yemen did not accept that Saudi Arabia could dictate who would control the government of Yemen.
Iranian support and involvement came much later, and it came not because Iran instigated it, but because Iran was the country the Houthis found was willing to supply them weapons.
From Day 1 America has been on the wrong side in this conflict.
Solving this situation is not a problem of technology. It is a problem of mis-understanding and lack of negotiation. The Suez Canal was closed from 1967 to 1975. The world learned to adapt. This is basically the same problem. Bombs are not going to solve this. The US needs a more intelligent approach.
Who says the Houthis want to establish a democracy? The child soldier with an umbrella in the picture is emblematic of the popular front ideal which leads to more governing militarism.
@ThrilledOilGreen2yrs2Y
Alas our "diplomacy" is based on arrogance and imperialistic agendas, which are controlled by money bags, and not the people's representatives.
Our diplomacy is shoot first, ask questions later (never honestly).
We made the same mistake in Afghanistan moving against the Taliban which are a hugely popular movement within Afghanistan, contrary to the misinformation we are being fed regularly.
The Houthis are not democratic. But they are more democratic (or at least more popular) that a foreign-backed strong man imposed on Yemen by Saudi Arabia. They have genuine popular support among the public, because they have driven the Saudis out. That is the basis of their legitimacy, such as it is. That is the reality that western countries need to deal with. But, of course, Saudi Arabia stands in the way, again.
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
@ISIDEWITH2yrs2Y
Loading the political themes of users that engaged with this discussion
Loading data...
Join in on more popular conversations.
