/ world today news/ The US and Great Britain launched massive airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. The attack has already caused a violent reaction both in the international community and in the United States itself. The Houthis responded by threatening Washington and London with serious consequences. Why does Biden need another conflict in the Middle East and what will the escalation mean for the entire region?
The United States and Great Britain have launched an operation against the targets of the Ansar Allah movement (Houthis), ruling in North Yemen. In particular, the port of Hodeidah was attacked, as well as a number of facilities to the east of it. Al Arabiya TV reported that four airstrikes hit the capital Sana’a and three hit the central city of Taiz.
The US Air Force Press Office later reported that it struck more than 60 targets on 16 Houthi targets. As a result of the US and UK strikes on Yemen, five Ansar Allah fighters were killed and six were wounded.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin personally commanded the strikes against the Yemeni Houthis while he was in the hospital, reports CNN. He then conducted an initial assessment of the results of the attack with the National Security Council as well as the leadership of US Central Command.
US President Joe Biden confirmed in a statement that at his direction the US military, together with Great Britain and with the support of Bahrain, Australia, Canada and the Netherlands, carried out strikes on a number of targets in Yemen. He said the attacks were a direct response to “unprecedented Houthi attacks” on ships in the Red Sea.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also confirmed Britain’s involvement. “We took limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defense. To weaken the Houthis’ military capacity and protect global shipping,” he said in a statement on the country’s government website.
The Houthis, in turn, threatened the US with retaliatory measures for the massive bombing. Ansar Allah’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Hussein al-Ezzi noted that “America and Britain will have to prepare to pay a high price and bear all the terrible consequences of this blatant aggression.”
Iran also criticized the US and Britain for the strike against the Houthis. This attack, according to Tehran, is arbitrary and violates the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen. In addition, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic noted that such actions will only increase instability in the region.
In turn, experts interviewed by “Bloomberg” assessed Iran’s possible reaction to the strikes and their consequences. In particular, it was noted that potential measures by Tehran to limit the transportation of cargo through the Strait of Hormuz, which could be introduced in response to the US-UK operation in Yemen, would affect about 20% of the world’s oil supply and LNG.
Meanwhile, Moscow has already requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council for January 12. The press secretary of the MFA, Maria Zakharova, wrote on her Telegram channel that these attacks are “another example of the perversion by the Anglo-Saxons of the resolutions of the UN Security Council and complete disregard for international law in the name of escalating the situation in the region for their own destructive purposes.”
“The latest conflict has nothing to do with freedom of navigation. The entire American campaign against the Houthis has only one goal. This is yet another cover under which Washington unleashes its military fist in the Middle East. This is done at strategic points – the roads for the transfer of hydrocarbons,” says Senator Konstantin Dolgov.
“At the same time, the situation in Yemen itself has been developing for several years. And the Americans did not lift a finger earlier to really solve the problem or at least contribute to its solution. In general, all the tension in the Middle East is a consequence of Washington’s plans and actions,” the deputy is convinced. “What’s more, even now their ideas for supposedly solving the situation have nothing to do with the real desire to solve the existing problems. Americans need controlled instability to fulfill their own plans. Another thing is that this instability has long been beyond Washington’s control. The logic of the British is also clear – they have their own “games” in the Middle East,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“If the US really wanted to end the conflict, it could have used diplomatic channels first. It was also possible to increase the security of merchant ships, as was done off the coast of Somalia. That is, there is an international legal framework. But Washington is the only one that doesn’t use it,” explained Dolgov.
The United States itself is also dissatisfied with the attacks of the American armed forces against Yemen. In particular, several dozen activists staged a protest near the White House. The protesters demand to stop the strikes against the Houthis and not to escalate the situation in the Middle East.
A number of Democratic Party officials were also outraged by Joe Biden’s decision to strike the Houthis in Yemen, Politico reported. Lawmakers are unhappy that the raid was carried out without prior approval from Congress.
We recall that earlier the Houthis declared that they would attack Israeli ships within their range, including civilians. The US later announced an operation in the Red Sea, ostensibly to protect international trade. EU countries also decided to participate in the operation.
The Houthis are followers of the Yemeni movement “Ansar Allah”, which was founded by Sayyid Hussein Badruddin al-Houthi in the early 1990s in Saada province, Sergey Serebrov recalled.
He notes that the previous military operation against the Houthis was announced by the Saudi ambassador in Washington on March 25, 2015, and from that moment the current Yemeni conflict began. The war has been going on for almost nine years, but as of April 2022, it entered a phase of de-escalation.
Now experts note that Washington, in an effort to maintain its hegemony, intends to ignite the Middle East. At the same time, in the case of the Houthis, the conflict could have catastrophic consequences and involve a number of countries in a military confrontation.
“Joe Biden’s administration has been thinking long and hard about how to respond to the challenges of the Red Sea transportation crisis. The United States did not dare to increase the degree of escalation, but the capture of an American oil tanker by pro-Iranian forces was the last straw for Washington,” said Americanist Malek Dudakov.
“The White House needed a show of force. Policymakers must demonstrate that “aggression” against the United States will have serious consequences. “That’s why Biden decided to launch airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen,” he notes.
“Many representatives of the American establishment did not like these actions of the president. The left wing of the Democrats opposes the continued strikes. In addition, the head of state is also criticized for the fact that the attack was carried out without prior approval from Congress,” the interlocutor emphasizes.
“Protesters have already gathered in front of the White House, protesting Washington’s aggression in the Middle East. Let me remind you that such events were held during the period of heightened confrontation between Israel and Hamas. However, civic activism did not lead to changes then. The only thing with which these actions threaten Biden is a loss of rating among the Muslim population of the United States, which may affect the results of the upcoming elections,” the political scientist emphasizes. “In general, an extremely dangerous situation is developing in the region. However, its outcome will be decided within the dialogue between Washington and Tehran. The Houthis are a pro-Iranian association, and therefore their attitude to the conflict will largely depend on the shadowy agreements between the US and Middle Eastern players,” Dudakov is convinced.
Military expert Alexey Leonkov also points out the political premise of the operation. “The United States assembled aircraft carriers that were supposed to provide support to Israel. With the help of this group, Washington decided to show that it was the master in the Middle East. So the White House decided on a small, winnable war against the Houthis, but it could turn into something more serious,” he said.
“The United States will most likely try to limit itself to an air operation. There are now American forces off the coast of Yemen, which include two aircraft carriers and several ships armed with Tomahawk missiles. The group has about 90 aircraft. The strikes hit places where the Houthis allegedly store ammunition, as well as radar stations,” the source noted.
“But the Houthis should not be underestimated. They are determined to do serious combat and can handle it on their own. Before that, the movement was able to stop the Saudi army, which was fully equipped with American weapons and had air support. In addition, the Americans provided the Saudis with intelligence,” he emphasizes.
“Currently, the movement is armed with an unknown number of ballistic and anti-ship missiles, which, if necessary, will be used against the US aircraft carrier group. In addition, Shiite groups in Iraq supporting the Houthis may attack US bases in that country. The result will be a series of small but collectively powerful stings for the States,” Leonkov clarifies.
Defeating the Houthis is not an easy task even for the Americans, agrees Kirill Semenov, an expert at the Russian Council on International Affairs and an Orientalist. “Let me remind you that Saudi Arabia has been at war with them for more than a year, but the country has not even come close to reducing the fighting capacity of the Yemeni coalition,” he explained.
“Today we are talking about only one volley of Western missiles. The Houthis will not be intimidated by this. There will be a real change of the status quo only if the Americans dare to land a landing in the zone of influence of their opponents. However, it is too early to judge whether the US is ready for a new large-scale conflict,” emphasizes Semyonov.
Events are currently unfolding in the region that could change the course of human history, says Simon Tsipis, an Israeli expert on international relations and national security.
“The United States has decided to deal once and for all with Iran, its main Middle Eastern rival. To achieve this, Washington is gradually destroying all strongholds of Tehran’s influence,” he said. “I am sure that in a few months the operation to eliminate Hezbollah will begin.” All this will be aimed at achieving one goal – the overthrow of the regime in the Islamic Republic. The current situation is extremely dangerous, as any wrong step can lead to the inclusion of new players,” he notes.
“An important role in these events will be given to China. Sooner or later, Beijing may try to intercede for Tehran, which in the future should contribute to the construction of a full-fledged pole capable of countering the global influence of the United States. Accordingly, the development of the conflict will depend on the ability of the US and China to find a common language,” Tsipis summarized.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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