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Red Sea

U.S. Forces Engage Houthis Targeting “Israel-Connected” Red Sea Vessels

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The United States conducted airstrikes on a location in Yemen that was reportedly besieged by Houthi rebels aided by Iran and allegedly a threat to maritime travel via the Red Sea on Saturday morning.

The assaults occur one day after a joint assault by U.S. and British forces against the militants, who had been disrupting commerce in the vital waterway and compelling U.S. vessels to intercept their missile launches.

RELATED – Houthis: The United States Will Pay a ‘Heavy Price’ for Biden Strikes in Yemen

Saturday morning, journalists for the Associated Press reported hearing a solitary explosion. The United States issued a 72-hour warning to commercial vessels to avoid the Red Sea prior to the attack.

Along the coast of the Red Sea, the Houthis, one of three principal factions in the ongoing Yemeni Civil War, occupy a substantial portion of the land. Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor of the United States, issued a warning in December that “appropriate action” would be taken in response to Houthi aggression.

“We have made clear that the entire world needs to step up together — not the U.S. alone, but all of us working together — to deal with this — this emerging challenge that the — that the Houthis present, backed by Iran,” he said. “We are going to take appropriate action in consultation with others, and we will do so at a time and place of our choosing.”

There are fears that U.S. retaliation will lead to further targeting of U.S. soldier and citizens abroad, as well as potential for total war in the Middle East.

 

 

 

Houthis: The United States Will Pay a ‘Heavy Price’ for Biden Strikes in Yemen
Which begs the question: is U.S. involvement in Israel's war actually making Americans safer?

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On Friday, the Shiite Houthi terrorist organization issued a dire threat against American President Joe Biden, stating that he will “pay a heavy price” for approving airstrikes against Houthi assets in Yemen alongside the United Kingdom.

Thursday marked the joint declaration by the Pentagon and the British Ministry of Defense that they had successfully orchestrated dozens of strikes against strategic Houthi targets with the objective of constraining the terrorists’ capacity to disrupt global shipping. In October, the Houthis, who assert their legitimacy as the Yemeni government, initiated hostilities against Israel in retaliation against the bombing campaign in Gaza.

The Houthi group declared its intention to initiate actions against commercial vessels “connected to Israel” in the vicinity of Yemen. The term “connected to Israel” is applied liberally to any vessel belonging to the United States, as the U.S. is typically seen across the Middle East as Israel’s primary partner and facilitator.

The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects the Red Sea and the Suez Canal—critical international maritime routes—lies in the waters offshore of Yemen. Consequently, between January 2023 and January 2024, commercial shipping traffic in the region decreased by 90 percent annually, inundating African ports with vessels en route around the Cape of Good Hope.

In 2021, under the administration of President Joe Biden, the Houthis were removed from the list of designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations maintained by the State Department. Biden authorized an agreement in September, just prior to the Hamas attack on Israel, to unfreeze $6 billion worth of Iranian assets in exchange for Iran’s release of five American hostages. It was emphasized by the Biden administration that “This does not constitute a ransom.”

“Washington and London must acknowledge responsibility for aggravating the situation at the Red Sea, and the militarization of the body of water,” Brigadier General Abdullah bin Amer, a Houthi leader in the terror group’s “Moral Guidance Department,” said on Friday, according to the Iranian state propaganda outlet PressTV. “They must be ready to embrace a heavy price, and bear all the deleterious consequences of this open aggression.”

Bin Amer promised that the Houthis would “target their bases across the region in case the United States and the United Kingdom increase their attacks.” He also insisted the Houthis would continue their “operations in the Red Sea,” meaning the disruption of international commercial shipping.

An additional Houthi spokesman, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, verified the airstrikes on Friday, stating that the United States and the United Kingdom bombed 73 Houthi strategic assets without specifying what was targeted.

“The American and British enemy bears full responsibility for its criminal aggression against our Yemeni people, and it will not go unanswered and unpunished,” Saree warned.

Hussein al-Ezzi, a Houthi political leader, was quoted as saying, “Washington and London must prepare to pay a heavy price. Our country came under sneak and massive air, ship and submarine strikes. Doubtless, the attacks will cost them dearly.”

The British Ministry of Defense offered information on their bombing campaign, saying “One was a site at Bani in north-western Yemen used to launch reconnaissance and attack drones. A number of buildings involved in drone operations were targeted by our aircraft.”

“The other location struck by our aircraft was the airfield at Abbs,” the Defense Ministry statement continued. “Intelligence has shown that it has been used to launch both cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea. Several key targets at the airfield were identified and prosecuted by our aircraft.”

“Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces—together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands—successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen,” President Biden said in his own statement, “used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways.”