Yemen

[blindpig]

Washington and London Bomb Yemen; Ansarallah Not Deterred (+Reactions)
JANUARY 12, 2024


Millions of people rally in Sana'a Yemen on January 12th, 2024 against the US/UK aggression and in solidarity with Palestine. Very large flags of Yemen, Palestine, and Hezbollah can be seen. Photo: Ansarallah Military Media Telegram.

Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—On the morning of January 12th, 2024, the US and UK carried out a large bombing campaign against Yemen with aircraft, warships, and submarines. In a statement, the Ansarallah Movement’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, announced that “the US-British enemy, in the context of its support for the continuation of the Israeli crimes in Gaza, launched a brutal aggression against Yemen with 73 strikes.” These attacks led to the death of five Ansarallah fighters and the injury of six others, the spokesman added. Additionally, the airstrikes of the US-British aggression bombed at least three civilian airports in Hajjah, Taiz, and Hodeidah.

Ansarallah officials confirmed to Al-Mayadeen that most of the military locations that were struck were “empty sites without any military equipment” which is why there were limited casualties. The greatest damage done was to the infrastructure of civilian airports. In the interview, Brigadier General Al-Thawr stressed that “targeting these sites does not fall within the framework of protecting trade routes in the Red Sea, as Washington claims,” explaining that these areas and sites are not used for military purposes and that the allegations of drones launched from these sites are “pure fantasy because [our] drones do not need large airports and runways to take off.”


US-dominated United Nations Security Council legitimizes the aggression
This illegal aggression came less than 48 hours after the passage of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolution 2722, spearheaded by the US, in an attempt to grant legitimacy to its waffling Operation Prosperity Guardian coalition. Four nations abstained from the resolution, China, Russia, Algeria, and Mozambique.

The resolution officially condemned Ansarallah’s position of targetting shipping vessels owned by “Israeli” companies or traveling to “Israeli” ports. As per the Yemeni decision, only those vessels that fit the criteria will be targeted or captured, and attacks will only halt when the war on Gaza ceases and its people receive sufficient medicine and food.

Vassily Nebenzia, the Russian Federation’s permanent representative to the UNSC denounced the resolution. “We should not have any illusions about the true goals of the authors of the resolution. This is not about ensuring the safety of navigation in the Red Sea at all, but an attempt to legitimize (post factum) the actions of the aforementioned ‘coalition’ and have [the] Security Council’s endorsement for an unlimited time,” he said pointing out the absurd position of Washington that “the United States equates defense of commercial vessels to self-defense.”

Following the UNSC vote, a spokesman for Yemen’s Ansarallah Movement, Mohamed Abdel Salam, stated “After about 100 days of unprecedented genocide against the people of Gaza, the UN Security Council decides to condemn the operations in the Red Sea, and this encourages the Zionist criminal entity to continue its crimes against the Palestinians.”

Yemen is not deterred
As announced by Seyyed Abdul Malik al-Houthi the day before the aggression, the brave people of Yemen will not be deterred from their “national and religious duties” of supporting the Palestinians. He had stated that “the US and British position of protecting ships affiliated with Israel, allowing the Israelis to continue their crimes without disturbance, will not deter us,” because they “do not shy away from the battlefield and confronting any enemy, regardless of their capabilities.” Al-Houthi noted that US retaliation against Yemen “proves that the Yemeni position of preventing ships affiliated with Israel from crossing the Red Sea and targeting them is an effective and influential stance.”

Indeed, millions of Yemeni people poured into the streets of Sana’a on Friday afternoon to declare their support for Palestine and their resolve to defend themselves from US-UK aggression. According to Yemeni outlet Al-Masirah “The massive crowds gathered in response to the call of the leader, Seyyed Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi. The gathering held Yemeni and Palestinian flags and raised banners of freedom, affirming that the Yemeni people will not waver in their faith-based stance and will not submit to the arrogant powers.”


It seems that, rather than being afraid, the people of Yemen are prepared to fight and see this as an opportunity to rid themselves of US oppression once and for all. This is epitomized by the statement from Ansarallah spokesman, Mohammed AI-Bukhaiti who declared that attacking Yemen was the US and UK’s “greatest folly in their history.” His full statement is below:

America and Britain made a mistake in launching the war on Yemen because they did not [learn] from their previous experiences. Had it not been for Bush’s foolishness in pushing Ali Saleh to attack us in Saada in 2004, the Yemeni people would not have launched the 2014 revolution that ended the rule of the US ambassador in Sana’a and expelled the Marines from it. Had it not been for the foolishness of the US and Britain in pushing Saudi Arabia and the UAE to declare war on us in 2015, Yemen would not have been able today to carry out its religious, moral, and humanitarian duty in supporting Palestine. There is no doubt that America and Britain today regret their previous follies, and soon they will realize that the direct aggression against Yemen was the greatest folly in their history.

Head of Ansarallah’s Supreme Political Council, Major General Mahdi Al-Mashat also said:

Yemeni blood is precious, and our revenge will not sleep. The criminal US, Zionist, and British aggression will not deter Yemen from its supportive stance for Palestine. We will continue to prevent “Israeli” ships or those heading to occupied Palestine, regardless of the US, Zionist, and British aggression against the Yemeni people. We say to our brothers in Palestine and our people in Gaza that our blood is no more precious than yours, and we are genuinely participating with you. The unjustified US, Zionist, and British aggression on Yemen is a violation of all laws, and they will pay a hefty price.

For the past few months, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, has emphasized that the aggression of the US and “Israel” against the region will begin an inevitable process of “De-Americanization” of the region. The recent aggression against Yemen will likely accelerate that process, as Yemen’s Supreme Political Council has declared that “All US and British interests have become legitimate targets for the Yemeni Armed Forces in response to their direct and announced aggression against the Yemeni Republic.”

Antony Blinken the harbinger of war
Since the beginning of the current US-Israeli war on Palestine and the scorched earth bombing campaign on Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visits to Tel Aviv have preceded every expansion of the war. This is his fourth visit since the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. His first visit was at the start of the occupation bombing campaign, the second one was before the start of the ground operation, and the third was on November 30th, mere hours before the ceasefire was broken and the military aggression resumed. Once again, before the attacks on Yemen, Blinken was on a “Middle East tour” in which he visited US regional client states Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, and finally the day before the attacks on Yemen, he was in Occupied Palestine participating in meetings with the “Israeli” War Council. This evidences what Resistance leaders have been saying since October, that Washington is making the decisions and is responsible for the strategy of the current imperialist war on Palestine and the region.

Regional and global condemnation of US/UK aggression
Qais Al Khazali, the Secretary-General of the Asaib Ahl al Haq Islamic Resistance movement in Iraq condemned the attacks on Yemen as “a blatant violation of international laws and humanitarian norms.” In a statement, Khazali said that those airstrikes were “A desperate attempt to benefit from the placidity of Arab nations about what is going on in the region.” He also lauded the “legendary resistance” of Yemenis against “conspiracies,” which represent “proof that the will cannot be shattered by military force or conspiracy.” He urged the international community and all people of Earth to take a stand against such aggression and support Yemen’s right to defend its sovereignty, freedom, and dignity.

Iran’s foreign ministry also strongly condemned the aggression and said that the strikes would fuel “insecurity and instability” in the region. The ministry’s spokesman Nasser Kanaani said “These attacks are a clear violation of Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and a breach of international laws.” He added, “These military attacks come in line with the continued full support of US and Britain throughout the past 100 days for the war crimes committed by the Zionist enemy entity against the Palestinian people and the oppressed and completely besieged citizens in Gaza.”

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a statement as well saying:

We condemn in the strongest terms the US and British aggression on our brotherly Yemen.

This aggression comes in the context of the military umbrella provided by the Western colonial states for their military barracks in Palestine, confirming that the US administration is the one directing the genocide war against the Palestinian people in Gaza. We salute the honorable and brave Yemeni stance, condemn all the positions of Arab betrayal, and affirm that it is the resistance of the peoples of our [Arab and Islamic] nation that will ultimately triumph. We call upon the sons of the Arab and Islamic nations to take action in rejection of the aggression on our brotherly Yemen, which has risen in defense of Gaza and the Muslim sanctities in Palestine.

Indeed, it is a jihad of victory or martyrdom.

For its part, the Russian Federation also condemned the attacks and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address them. Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated “Our fears got confirmed that the US position in the UN Security Council on the Red Sea is just a pretext for further escalation of tension in the region. We strongly condemn these irresponsible actions of the United States and its allies.” She continued, “We proceed from the fact that this adventure by the forces of the illegal coalition poses a direct threat to global peace and security. [Thus], we demanded the urgent convening of a meeting of the UN Security Council, from the podium of which our assessments of these illegal actions will be voiced.”

Hezbollah also issued a statement immediately following the aggression:

Hezbollah vehemently condemns the blatant US-British aggression on our brotherly Yemen, targeting its security, sovereignty, and honorable free people. Yemen has stood firmly, courageously, and responsibly alongside the Palestinian people and their courageous resistance, exerting maximum effort to lift the blockade through various means and available resources.

This US aggression once again confirms that the United States is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza and the region. It actively supports and supplies it with the tools of killing and destruction, covering up its aggression, crimes, and attacks on anyone standing beside the oppressed Palestinian people throughout the region.

As we salute dear Yemen, its national army, resilient people, and honorable leadership, we affirm that this aggression will not break its resolve. Instead, it will strengthen its power, determination, and courage to confront and defend itself, continuing its path of supporting the Palestinian people and achieving their just and rightful cause.

The ring of fire expands
Washington and Tel Aviv have been unable to accomplish any strategic objectives against the Hamas Movement or the other Resistance factions in Gaza and the West Bank. In Gaza their only “success” is in killing over 23,000 Palestinians, primarily women and children, and displacing two million more. Despite this, the people of Gaza are more resilient than ever and emphasize that they “will not be displaced twice.” Consequently, the US is taking the strategy of expanding the conflict, carrying out targeted assassinations in Beirut and Syria, terrorist attacks on Iran, escalating attacks on Lebanon in recent weeks, and now the outright bombing of Yemen.

Despite Washington and Tel Aviv’s threats and their strategy of attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure, the Axis of Resistance remains steadfast. Over the last three months, Hezbollah has carried out over 670 strikes against 50 different occupation military locations; the Islamic Resistance in Iraq has struck US occupation bases in Syria and Iraq more than 100 times; and the resistance in Gaza has destroyed over 1,000 occupation vehicles and inflicted thousands of casualties on the occupiers. For their part, Ansarallah has completely shut down the “Israeli” port of Eilat and carried out dozens of operations in the Red Sea.

“The brave people of Yemen are fulfilling their historical duty in the Just struggle against imperialism and to create a better future for Palestine, West Asia, and consequently the entire world,” an analyst told to Orinoco Tribune.

https://orinocotribune.com/washington-a ... reactions/

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Genocide Experts Discount Israeli Legal Arguments
January 12, 2024

The World Court hearing on Friday was underway as Al Jazeera reported that nine Palestinians, including children and at least one infant, were killed in an Israeli strike on a residence in Rafah.


Tal Becker addressing the court for Israel on Friday. (UN TV Screenshot)

By Julia Conley
Common Dreams

Faced with a detailed documentation of statements made by top-level Israeli officials about their intent to “destroy” Gaza residents and “flatten” the enclave, legal experts observed that attorneys representing Israel on Friday at the International Court of Justice appeared to simply ignore the mounting evidence that the government is committing a genocide.

Thomas MacManus, a state crime lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, said the ICJ, which has held two hearings this week regarding South Africa’s complaint accusing Israel of genocidal violence and intent in Gaza since it began its bombardment in October, likely noticed a “massive disconnect” between Israel’s claim that it is trying to protect civilian lives with the reality on the ground.

The hearing on Friday was underway as Al Jazeera reported that nine Palestinians, including children and at least one infant, were killed in an Israeli strike on a home in Rafah — just a few of the 23,708 who have been confirmed dead in Israel’s assault.

Yet Malcolm Shaw, a British professor of international law who helped defend Israel, focused his remarks on the country’s claim that it goes to great lengths to protect civilians and asserted that the numerous statements of genocidal intent catalogued by South Africa were taken out of context.

Shaw on Netanyahu’s reference to biblical tale of Amalek: There is “no need here for a theological discussion.” South Africa took quote out of context, says Netanyahu emphasized that IDF is “most moral army in the world” & “does everything to avoid harming the uninvolved.”

— jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) January 12, 2024

“I think the court will find it very difficult to add these two things,” MacManus told Al Jazeera, referring to the statements compiled by South Africa and Shaw’s claim that Israel has the “most moral army in the world” and “does everything to avoid harming the uninvolved.”

“The court only needs to look at the statements in South Africa’s submission — with the ranking and authority of those making them — and ask whether they plausibly reach the level of intent required for genocide,” said MacManus. “I think the court will have to do that.”

Taj Becker, legal adviser to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, opened his remarks with a reference to Raphael Lemkin, the Polish lawyer who coined the term “genocide” in the 1940s and helped establish it as an international crime.


Raphael Lemkin, left, with Ricardo Alfaro of Panama, in Paris on Dec. 11, 1948, before the meeting at which the Genocide Convention was approved. (UN Photo/MB)

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention has for three months called on the International Criminal Court to indict Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for genocidal acts, and said Friday that Becker’s words rang “hollow” considering “the overwhelming evidence” documented by South Africa.

#Israel contends that the intention to destroy a people, in whole or in part, is "totally lacking." Mr. Becker's words, however, ring hollow in light of the overwhelming evidence of genocidal rhetoric from senior Israeli officials, journalists and Israeli military and society.

— Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention (@LemkinInstitute) January 12, 2024

South Africa’s 84-page complaint to the ICJ includes direct quotes from officials including Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who said “an entire nation,” not just Hamas, was responsible for the group’s attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who said the Israel Defense Forces “will eliminate everything” in Gaza.

Yet as Step Vaessen of Al Jazeera reported, “the argument by Israel was that [genocidal intent] was clearly not government policy.”

On Democracy Now!, Center for Constitutional Rights staff attorney Diala Shamas pointed out that the Israeli defense team also focused largely on the question of whether the ICJ, the top judicial body of the United Nations, has the authority to rule on South Africa’s case and to grant the country’s request for a binding injunction that would force Israel to stop its bombardment.

Israel’s arguments, said Shamas, boiled down to, “‘You can’t be here and you can’t do anything about it, and… Everything we do is self-defense [against Hamas.]'”

The defense amounted to “a complete deflection, never at any point addressing the incredibly powerful arguments laid out [Thursday] at a hearing for three hours by the South Africa legal team,” added Shamas.

Ammar Hijazi, a Palestinian Foreign Ministry official, told reporters outside the court that Israel was not “able to provide any solid arguments on the basis of fact and law.”

“What Israel has provided today are many of the already debunked lies,” said Hijazi, noting that the legal team repeated false claims that Hamas has used hospitals in Gaza as military bases, making them legitimate targets for Israel. “We think that what the Israeli team today has [provided] is the exact thing that South Africa came to the court for — and that is, nothing at all justifies genocide.”

https://consortiumnews.com/2024/01/12/g ... arguments/

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US escalates aggression in Yemen, targets Sanaa airport

The US military followed up its massive Thursday bombing with additional strikes on a military base near the Sanaa airport and a radar station

News Desk

JAN 13, 2024


(Photo credit: Sky News)

The US military carried out additional strikes on Yemen this weekend, targeting a radar station and military base in the capital, Sanaa, as the Ansarallah-led government accused the US of terrorism.

The director of the Al-Mayadeen office in Yemen confirmed that air strikes or missile strikes targeted the Al-Dailami base near Sanaa International Airport, north of the capital, at dawn on Saturday, 13 January.

Regarding the Saturday strike, Reuters reported that according to a statement from US Central Command, the USS Carney used Tomahawk missiles "to degrade the Houthis' [Ansarallah] ability to attack maritime vessels, including commercial vessels."

US forces also struck a radar site in Yemen early Saturday morning. US Central Command stated the strike was also carried out by the USS Carney using missiles.

The expert in military affairs, Yemeni Brigadier General Abed al-Thawr, also commented that "American planes have been flying since yesterday evening in the airspace of Sanaa and throughout Yemen, including the AWACS surveillance plane," stressing that "Yemen has absorbed the aggression from the first moments," and that "the American raids were not effective. They are based on outdated information."

In response to the US action, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, a member of the Ansarallah Supreme Political Council, stated, "Your strikes on Yemen are terrorism … The United States is the Devil."

"We did not attack the shores of America, nor did we move in the American islands, nor did we attack them. Your strikes on our country are terrorism," said Houthi.

This weekend's attacks follow Washington and London's late-night strikes on Yemen Thursday evening, which targeted several areas of the country, including the capital, Sanaa, and the provinces of Hodeidah, Saada, Taiz, and Hajjah, according to local news outlet Saba.

US President Joe Biden announced that the strikes were a "direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea."

"A large number" of Yemeni drones and missiles targeted a US ship on Wednesday, which in turn came in response to Washington's sinking of three Yemeni naval boats and the killing of ten Yemeni naval officers on 31 December.

The conflict began after Ansarallah-led Yemeni forces began targeting Israeli-linked commercial ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel's horrific bombing campaign against Gaza, which has killed over 22,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, and which many consider genocide.

While many regional governments, including Turkiye and Saudi Arabia, have verbally condemned Israel's actions, Yemen's Ansarallah and Lebanon's Hezbollah are the only groups or governments that have sought to intervene to stop Israel's campaign in Gaza militarily.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/us-es ... aa-airport

Europe's big powers back out of US-led bombing campaign of Yemen

Rome, Paris, and Madrid have refused to participate in Washington and London's latest war in West Asia

News Desk

JAN 13, 2024


Spanish Minister of Defense Margarita Robles (Photo credit: Jorge Zapata/Efe)
Europe is divided over the US-UK bombing of Yemen, one of the world's poorest countries, as Italy, Spain, and France have refused to take part in the operation.

Washington and London carried out late-night strikes on Yemen Thursday evening, which targeted several areas of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The US and UK are seeking to target Yemen's Ansarallah-led forces for their efforts to target Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in response to Israel's brutal bombing campaign in Gaza, which many view as genocide.

The US-UK strikes were supported by Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, and Bahrain, who all signed a joint statement backing the bombing.

However, Europe's major powers, France, Italy, and Spain, refused to take part in the strikes and declined to sign the statement in support of them.

The Italian government, led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said it was not asked to participate in the US-UK attacks on Yemen. It stated further that even if a request had been made, it could not have participated without a debate and vote in parliament to authorize military action.

The Italian deputy prime minister said Italy could not have participated at such short notice "because the constitution does not allow us to commit acts of war without a debate in parliament."

However, a government source told Reuters that Rome had been asked to participate but refused because it preferred a "calming policy."

The French government, led by Emmanuel Macron, also ruled out joint action with the US and UK, unlike in Libya in 2011 and against ISIS in Syria in 2015.

French Rear Admiral Emmanuel Slaars said on Thursday that although the French Navy is active in protecting French ships in the Red Sea, Paris's current mandate did not include striking Ansarallah directly.

The Telegraph reported that an anonymous French official said Paris feared that by joining the US-led assault on Yemen's Ansarallah-led forces, it would lose any leverage it had in mediating between Hezbollah and Israel.

France says it is focusing its diplomatic efforts on avoiding an escalation in Lebanon, where Hezbollah has been fighting Israel on the border since 7 October, also in support of Gaza.

In Spain, Minister of Defense Margarita Robles reiterated Friday that Spain will not participate in any military operation against Yemen. She said this included a rejection of participating in a European Union operation in the Red Sea, which is expected to be announced in the coming days.

"Spain is a country firmly committed to peace in the world, precisely for that reason we have 17 missions and more than 3,000 people in many places," Robles acknowledged. "From the beginning we have said that in the Red Sea we understand that Spain is not going to participate at this time."

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/europ ... n-of-yemen

[blindpig]

War in the Red Sea: what happened off the coast of Yemen on January 13
January 14, 2024
Rybar



The situation in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen , despite the absence of large-scale strikes, is still tense. During the day, the media reported several times about explosions in the Hodeidah area , which, however, were never confirmed.

At the same time, the United States re-attacked Sana'a airport , declaring the destruction of the radar with a Tomahawk cruise missile from the destroyer USS Carney . It is not possible to confirm or refute the statement at the moment, especially since the Houthis have not yet responded to the strike.

The maritime coalition in the Red Sea is expanding. German authorities announced their intention to send ships to the shores of Yemen . The German Navy will send the air defense frigate Hesse on February 1 . Meanwhile, the United States announced the disappearance of two sailors off the coast of Somalia on January 11 and is conducting a rescue operation. Arab publications associate this fact with the Houthi retaliatory strike.

US strikes on Ansarallah targets



On the night of January 13, the United States launched a new attack on targets of the Yemeni Ansarallah movement. The airport in the Sanaa area was subjected to repeated strikes , where, according to CENTCOM , a Tomahawk missile from the destroyer USS Carney destroyed the radar.

No deaths or injuries were reported. It is ironic that the attack occurred just a few hours after the UN Security Council meeting on the Yemen issue, where several countries, including the Russian Federation, condemned the previous attack on January 11.

Results of US and British Air Force strikes on Yemen

In the morning, footage appeared on the Internet of the consequences of a missile strike by the US and British Air Forces on Yemen , which took place on the night of January 12.

Apparently, Ansarallah was missing several hangars at Al-Hodeida airport (some of which, however, were destroyed anyway) and a small building at Taiz airport . Two coastal sites in Gilifqa Bay south of Al-Hodeidah in the Ad-Duraihimi area were also hit .


On the one hand, the images confirm the fact of Houthi attacks on several targets. But the choice of targets raises certain questions: in particular, both air harbors that came under attack were already badly damaged during the bombing of the UAE from 2015 to 2021 and have not been used for a long time for obvious reasons.

Coastal facilities, given their proximity to the Al-Hodeida - Mokka highway , could theoretically be unloading sites for smuggling from Iran . However, Ansaralla has a large port at its disposal in Al-Hodeidah , and why the movement suddenly needed to make a transshipment point somewhere on the outskirts is also a good question.

Actions of the international coalition
The German leadership intends to send the frigate Hesse to the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden on February 1 to provide air defense for ships.

This warship is equipped with SM-2 Block IIIA and 32 RIM-162 ESSM anti-missile missiles, as well as RIM-116 launchers to combat anti-ship missiles.

Officially, the European Union will discuss the issue of organizing its mission in the Red Sea only on February 19 , and the start itself, if approved, is scheduled for the end of February.

However, it is curious whether there will be any attempts from individual EU countries to prevent European intervention in the region. A couple of weeks ago in Madrid they clearly hinted at this .

In addition, the United States announced the disappearance of two sailors off the coast of Somalia on January 11 and is conducting a rescue operation. Arab publications associate this fact with the Houthi retaliatory strike.

Hodeida Province

Yemeni sources reported that an explosion was heard in the south of Hodeidah province , but later footage emerged of a plane flying close to the coast. Local sources stated that the fighter belonged to US forces . Probably, the sound of the transition to supersonic was mistaken for explosions, especially since such a practice is not new. For example, before the escalation, Israel often stressed the population of Beirut and other coastal Lebanese cities in this way .

Large-scale exercises "Anasaralli"

The Yemeni Houthis posted a pretentious video with the exercises of their armed forces. And if colorful shooting at portraits of the Israeli Prime Minister and walking on American flags have long become a common local attribute, then footage using drones looks much more interesting.

On the one hand, we can note Ansaralla’s desire to follow current trends in the use of UAVs in armed conflicts and to introduce even heavy copters into battle formations. However, there are many nuances here, the main one being that the mere presence of drones does not guarantee an increase in combat capabilities.

For example, the communication channel plays a huge role, without which even the largest agricultural drone simply turns into a “big Mavic” and cannot fly at a range of tens of kilometers. The Houthis do not have their own analogue of the Starlink receiver, so moving deep behind enemy lines and throwing RPG shots there will not work.

At the same time, an organization with control is no less important, when the picture from the UAV is available not only to the operator, but also at the command posts of units and crews carrying out fire damage. Otherwise, the effectiveness of their use is reduced.

Therefore, the combat use of drones is a large complex work, including many technical, organizational and other components. Without all this, the appearance at the front of even a large number of UAVs will not be able to reveal the full enormous potential of the latest achievements in global drone construction.

https://rybar.ru/vojna-v-krasnom-more-c ... -yanvarya/

Google Translator

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Striking Yemen From Afar Will Not Achieve Anything

Last night the U.S. launched another strike against Yemen:

The US Central Command (Centcom) has announced that American forces have launched a fresh strike, targeting an alleged radar site used by the Ansarullah movement in Yemen.
The strike, carried out by the USS Carney (DDG 64) using Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles, follows previous one on January 12.

Reports from multiple sources indicate that the airstrikes targeted the vicinity of Sanaa airport and its surrounding areas, north of the Yemeni capital. According to CNN, a US official revealed that this strike was conducted unilaterally by the United States and was of a smaller scale compared to previous actions.

Other reports confirm that this second strike in as many days targeted a radar site:

The US launched a fresh airstrike on a Houthi rebel radar installation Friday, in what was described as a follow-up attack to an earlier barrage across Yemen intended to degrade the group’s ability to target commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
The destroyer USS Carney fired Tomahawk cruise missiles at the radar facility, US Central Command said in a statement.
...
Central Command called the strike “a follow-on action on a specific military target associated with strikes taken on Jan. 12.”

The only known radar site near Sana'a is at the airport which the Saudis had bombed several times. It was reopened only in 2022, six years after it had been closed, following a UN brokered truce agreement.

Sana'a is some 100 km (60 miles) from the coastline. Why an air traffic control radar in Sana'a should be relevant for marine traffic in the Red Sea is beyond my understanding.

I also do not understand why the U.S. is hitting Yemen at all. The Houthi, part of the ruling Ansar Allah government coalition, want to fight the U.S. As long as the war on Gaza goes on they can not and will not be deterred from attacking ships related to Israel.

Many experts agree with this opinion:

Analysts who study the Houthis said that the American-led airstrikes could play into the group’s agenda and might be unlikely to stop the group’s attacks.
“This was not a miscalculation by the Houthis,” said Hannah Porter, a senior research officer at ARK Group, a British company that works in international development. “This was the goal. They hope to see an expanded regional war, and they are eager to be on the front lines of that war.”

Within hours of the first wave of strikes, a senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, said that the United States and Britain would soon realize that they had engaged in “the biggest folly in their history.”

(ARK is one of several companies which clandestine 'regime change' work for the UK's Foreign Office.)

The Houthi have fought the Saudis for eight years and have arguably won that war. Now the Saudis have a truce with the Houthi and continue to negotiate a peace agreement with them. They found that there is simply no other way to handle them.

Many other experts agree:

Laurent Bonnefoy, a researcher who studies Yemen at Sciences Po in Paris, said the strikes were what the Houthis were “looking for.”
“They are gaining what they want, which is to appear as the boldest regional player when it comes to confronting the international coalition, which is largely in favor of Israel and does not care for people in Gaza,” he said. “This generates some form of support for them, internationally as well as internally.”
...
Ibrahim Jalal, an analyst with the Middle East Institute, described the Houthis as a nimble militant group hardened by years of guerrilla warfare in Yemen and weathering years of Saudi-led airstrikes.

They have “little in the way of large-scale, permanent military sites,” he said, “and instead use mobile launchpads for rockets and drones in addition to networks of tunnels and caves that makes their targeting highly complicated.”

The strikes Friday, Jalal said, were “surgical, largely tactical and symbolic.” He doubted they work as a deterrent.

“The Houthis have too little to lose,” he said, and much to gain. The war in Gaza has enabled the group to position itself as the defender of the Palestinian cause in the region, winning public support at home and abroad and distracting from domestic discontent.
...
As violence in Yemen’s civil conflict declined, opposition to the Houthis has emerged over complaints that include the group’s inability to pay public sector salaries, according to Maysaa Shuja al-Deen, a senior researcher at the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies. But the Houthi attacks on Red Sea commerce have struck a chord in a country where support for Palestinians is universal.

“Now everyone is saying, ‘We support the Houthis in this issue,’” she said.

The attacks on shipping bolstered the group’s recruitment efforts, she said, and over the last few weeks — a period including a rare firefight between Houthi fighters and U.S. Navy helicopters — the number of recruits has soared, particularly in Yemen’s northern tribal areas.

Since the Houthis’ beginnings as a youth movement in northern Yemen decades ago, she said, the group had envisioned themselves as more than just a local actor — “they had ambitions of being a regional power.”

Now, as they confront the United States and its allies directly, she said, their wish has come true. They’ve proved their capacity to strike targets far beyond their borders.

“The Houthis will retaliate,” Shuja al-Deen said. “And they can.”

Video shows that after the first strike about a million people took part in a huge pro-Houthi anti-U.S. rally in Sana'a.

All this was obvious to anyone who has followed Yemen a bit. The country can only be controlled from the ground and Yemenis are excellent fighters. The British learned this in the 1960s when they were kicked out of the country even as they ferociously bombed the hell out of it. The Saudis learned this over several wars the fought (and lost) against Yemen.

That is why I do not understand why the White House is doing these strike. Neither do others:

[A] campaign of aerial bombing and cruise missile strikes seems unlikely to deter the Houthis from continuing to try, with whatever resources they retain, to threaten Red Sea shipping. They have other means at their disposal, as well, including uncrewed explosive boats and naval mines.
Fundamentally, any U.S. attempt to intimidate the Houthis seems to suffer from a mismatch between their respective levels of commitment.

The Houthi want to fight while the Biden administration wants to avoid another war during an election year.

When this 'deterrence' action in Yemen fails to achieve any result, as is likely, will it send in ground troops? What is the plan when those fail?

Posted by b on January 13, 2024 at 15:44 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/01/s ... .html#more

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Bombing Yemen as British as Afternoon Tea
January 14, 2024

The U.K. military’s latest bombing of Yemen comes on the 60th anniversary of a forgotten British campaign in the country, Mark Curtis reports.


An RAF Typhoon takes off from Akrotiri on Cyprus to bomb Yemen. (MOD via DeclassifiedUK)

By Mark Curtis
Declassified UK

U.K. air strikes on the Houthis in Yemen – who have dared to challenge Western support for Israel over Gaza – are taking place exactly 60 years after a brutal British bombing campaign in the country.

The so-called Radfan revolt of early 1964 in modern-day Yemen has long passed out of historical memory.

We should remember it though, as evidence of how British foreign policy is practised in reality – and how we only truly find out about that reality once government files are released decades later.

Independence on Our Terms

The Radfan is a mountainous area about 50 miles north of Aden, Yemen’s major southern port. In the early 1960s, it was part of a British colonial creation – the Federation of South Arabia, a grouping of sheikhdoms and sultanates established by London.

The U.K. was prepared to grant independence to South Arabia, but only on certain terms. Sir Kennedy Trevaskis, the high commissioner in Aden, noted that independence should “ensure that full power passed decisively into friendly hands.”

This would leave the territory “dependent on ourselves and subject to our influence.”

Much of the population refused to cooperate with British plans, and not only politicised groups in Aden. In January 1964 tribesmen in Radfan launched raids on federation targets and British convoys in the area.


Map of Federation of South Arabia with arrow pointing to Radfan. (Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

They were concerned about receiving declining revenues as a result of British plans for a customs union across the federation and were inspired by the anti-colonialism of Egypt under Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab nationalist leader in the Middle East.

‘Whatever Methods Necessary’

The response of the British authorities under the Conservative government of Alec Douglas-Home was ferocious. Colonial secretary Duncan Sandys called in April 1964 for the “vigorous suppression” of the revolt and that the U.K. military be authorised “to use whatever methods are necessary.”

The only thing that concerned Sandys was to “minimise adverse international criticism” — indicating that propaganda operations, then as now, were of utmost importance.

A political directive issued to British forces in April 1964 stated that U.K. troops “must take punitive measures that hurt the rebels, thus leaving behind the memories that will not quickly fade.”

The idea was “to make life so unpleasant for the tribes that their morale is broken and they submit.”


RAF Westland Wessex helicopter in Aden during the Radfan Campaign in 1964. (Peter Bannister photo via Flickr account of Dick Gilbert, CC BY 2.0)

Captain Brian Drohan, a scholar at the U.S. military academy at West Point who has also analysed the British declassified files, wrote that “the Radfan population felt the full force of colonial coercion as British forces bombed villages, slaughtered livestock, and destroyed crops”.

‘Casualties to Women & Children’

One tactic was “ground proscription,” in which certain areas in Radfan were designated as off limits.

“All inhabitants, regardless of their status as civilians or combatants, were required to leave, turning virtually the entire population of a proscribed area into refugees,” Drohan notes.

British soldiers were ordered to confiscate property, burn fodder and destroy grain stores and livestock. Rules of engagement allowed commanders to use aerial and artillery bombardment “to the maximum extent necessary” when villages refused to surrender.

In such circumstances, “casualties to women and children must be accepted,” the U.K. directive stated.

As part of a British army deployment, which involved the Parachute regiment and marines, a small SAS team was also sent in April, assisted by ground attack Hunter warplanes. The SAS killed some 25 rebels but lost its commander and radio operator, whose bodies had to be left behind.

These were decapitated and the heads displayed in Yemen, an incident that caused anger and shock throughout Britain.

Air Strikes


Street riots in Aden in 1967, in aftermath period of the U.K. 1964 Radfan campaign. (Al-Omari, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

As the files in so many other of Britain’s wars in the Middle East show, U.K. planners were perfectly aware of the plight of the people they were attacking.

The Middle East commander in chief, Lt Gen Sir Charles Harington, recognised that the Radfan tribesmen “have been eking out a poor and primitive existence for hundreds of years.” Their situation was that “there is barely sufficient substance to support the population, families seldom making more than £50 a year profit.”

“Therefore,” he noted, “the temptation and indeed the necessity to look elsewhere for aid is understandable” – which is what many people did, turning to offers from Nasser’s Egypt and the new republican government in North Yemen, against whom the U.K. was also fighting a covert war.

Harington also noted that if Britain “had given more financial help” to the Radfanis in the past “the temptation to go elsewhere for the price of subversion might have been avoided.”

Bribes

Paying bribes to local tribal leaders was another way to secure control over the population. Sandys called for the high commissioner to pay “personal subsidies” to key members of the council of the Federation of South Arabia.

In January 1964, Trevaskis was given £50,000 to pay such bribes. He was also provided with £15,000 “to help undermine the position of the People’s Socialist Party in Aden,” the most important political opposition to continued British rule in the territory.

The high commissioner noted that this money would help “to prevent their winning coming elections.” In July 1964 ministers also approved £500,000 for Trevaskis “to distribute to rulers where this would help to prevent tribal revolts.”

With the advantages of airpower and artillery, the British military captured its territorial objectives by late July as Radfan tribes retreated over the border into North Yemen. Having removed them from their homes, U.K. forces occupied the Radfan and continued enforcing proscription through air and ground patrolling.

Official figures are that Britain lost 13 soldiers during the conflict. It is not known how many Radfanis were killed.

The Federation of South Arabia went on to become part of independent South Yemen in 1967, after a protracted liberation war against British forces.

Mark Curtis is the editor of Declassified UK, and the author of five books and many articles on UK foreign policy.

This article is from Declassified UK.

https://consortiumnews.com/2024/01/14/b ... rnoon-tea/

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Hands off Yemen! U.S.-British airstrikes support Gaza genocide
January 14, 2024 Melinda Butterfield

Millions in Sana’a, Yemen, protest U.S.-British airstrikes, Jan. 12.


On orders of President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the U.S. and Britain bombed Yemen, the poorest country in the Middle East, on the night of Jan. 11, in violation of international and U.S. laws.

The airstrikes were blatant support for Israel’s ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza. The Ansarallah movement (called “Houthis” by the racist Western media), which leads Yemen’s military, heroically declared that it would not allow any ships bound for Israel to pass through the waters of the Red Sea.

The Associated Press reported: “The bombardment — launched in response to a recent campaign of drone and missile attacks on commercial ships in the vital Red Sea — killed at least five people and wounded six, [Ansarallah] said. The U.S. said the strikes took aim at more than 60 targets in 16 different locations across [Ansarallah]-controlled areas of Yemen.”

Yemen’s Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree vowed that the strikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”

On Jan. 12, millions of Yemenis took to the streets of the capital, Sana’a, to protest the act of war by the Western powers. “We are not afraid,” they chanted.

While the so-called “democratic West” offers excuses, justifications, and support for genocide, the Yemeni people are taking action to stop it, just as the South African government did this week with its genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.

The U.S. and Britain once again exposed themselves by punishing those who oppose their Israeli puppet’s genocide in Gaza.

In the tradition of every modern U.S. president, both Democrat and Republican, Genocide Joe Biden carried out this act of war against Yemen without the legally required approval of the U.S. Congress.

In 2020, candidate Biden said then-president Donald Trump did “not have the authority to take us into war with Iran without Congressional approval” after Trump ordered the assassination of General Qasem Soleimani.

“A president should never take this nation to war without the informed consent of the American people,” Biden said – back then.

Meanwhile, British PM Rishi Sunak, whose government is actively attempting to outlaw the existence of trans people, had the gall to call the attack on Yemen an act of “self-defense” to “de-escalate tensions and to restore stability to the region.”

Emergency protests against the U.S.-British attacks on Yemen were held Jan. 11 in New York’s Times Square, outside the White House in Washington, D.C., and Vancouver, British Columbia. More protests are planned Jan. 12 in Los Angeles and other cities.

Yemenis slaughtered by U.S.-Saudi war

Missing from most corporate media coverage of Ansarallah’s military action against genocide and the Western retaliation is any mention of the more than 377,000 people killed in the 2015-2021 war waged by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates against Yemen.

Like the genocide in Gaza, it was a proxy war carried out on behalf of U.S. imperialism, relying on U.S. weapons and military support.

That war became so unpopular that Biden actually claimed to oppose it when he was campaigning for the presidency in 2020, trying to cover himself in a paper-thin progressive veneer that is now completely stripped away.

Two-thirds of the victims of the U.S.-Saudi war in Yemen were children. A whole generation has been stunted by hunger and disease – those fortunate enough to have survived.

Nevertheless, the Ansarallah movement has prevailed, uniting the country under a program of national liberation and opposition to Israeli genocide. Yemen is part of the Axis of Resistance to imperialism in West Asia that includes the Islamic government of Iran, the secular government of Syria, the Hezbollah movement in Lebanon, and popular militias in Iraq.

Below are statements condemning the U.S.-British airstrikes compiled by Resistance News Network:

Ansarallah spokesperson Mohammed Abdul Salam (Yemen):

The blatant American-British aggression against the Republic of Yemen was carried out to protect “israel” and to stop Yemen’s operations in support of Gaza. They committed foolishness with this treacherous aggression, and they are mistaken if they think it will deter Yemen from supporting Palestine and Gaza.

Yemen will continue its religious and humanitarian stance and will always stand by Gaza with all it is capable of. This aggression will only make Yemen stronger and more resolute.

We affirm that there is absolutely no justification for this aggression on Yemen, as there was no threat to international navigation in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. The targeting was and will remain directed at “israeli” ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine.

Hezbollah movement (Lebanon):

Hezbollah strongly condemns the blatant American-British aggression against the brotherly Yemen, its security, sovereignty, and its free and honorable people, who stood with all strength, courage, and responsibility alongside the Palestinian people and their valiant resistance, exerting their utmost effort to break the siege on it by all available means and capabilities.

The American aggression confirms once again that America is a full partner in the tragedies and massacres committed by the zionist enemy in Gaza and in the region. America works to support and supply it with the machinery of killing and destruction, covering up its aggression and crimes and attacking everyone who stands beside the oppressed Palestinian people across the region.

As we salute the dear Yemen, its national army, its proud people, and its generous leadership, we affirm that this aggression will not weaken their resolve. Rather, it will increase their strength, determination, and courage to face it, defend themselves, and continue the path in supporting the Palestinian people and advocating for their legitimate and just cause.

Mohammad Ali Al-Houthi, head of the Revolutionary Committee in Yemen:

The American-British strikes are barbaric terrorist acts. This deliberate and unjustified aggression reflects a savage mentality.

These strikes reaffirm once again that they are the ones directing the aggression on Gaza as well as in Yemen and that they protect “israeli” terrorism as they themselves are the terrorists, with “israel” being a part of this.

What they have done is a blatant and unjustified attack, occurring at a time when the world seeks to stop the genocide in Gaza, only to have these strikes confirm their protection and intentional continuation of it. These airstrikes on the Republic of Yemen will not pass unnoticed, and Allah willing, there will be a response announced later in a statement.

May Yemen remain dear, and may Palestine remain Palestine. Shame and disgrace on the Americans and the British.

“There is no aggression except against the oppressors.”

Eternity for the martyrs, and healing for the wounded.

Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Palestine):

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful,

We strongly condemn the blatant American-British aggression on Yemen, and we hold them responsible for its repercussions on the security of the region.

We in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) condemn in the strongest terms the American-British aggression, the aerial and naval bombing on Yemeni territory, and consider it a crime and blatant aggression on Yemeni sovereignty and a threat to the security of the region which is witnessing American and British militarization that came to protect the Nazi-zionist occupation and to cover up its crimes against the Palestinian people and the entire Arab region.

As we highly appreciate the position of our brotherly Yemen and its heroic people in standing with our Palestinian people in the Al-Aqsa Flood battle, we affirm that the brutal aggression on Yemen is an uncalculated terrorist act, influenced by the will of the zionist occupation and its extremist Nazi leadership, and will only increase ignition and tension in the region. Washington and London bear the responsibility for the repercussions.

We affirm that the region will not witness security and stability except by ending the zionist occupation of our Palestinian and Arab lands, which requires Washington and London to review their colonial policies, out of respect the sovereignty of states and the interests of the Arab peoples, who will not stand idly by in the face of the brutal zionist crimes, the genocide war that our Palestinian people are subjected to, and the violations of our Islamic and Christian sanctities, foremost among them the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Yemeni Armed Forces:

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

Allah the Almighty said: “So whoever has assaulted you, then assault him in the same way that he has assaulted you. And fear Allah and know that Allah is with those who fear Him.”

This is the truth of Allah Almighty.

The American and British enemy, as part of its support for the ongoing “israeli” crimes in Gaza, launched a brutal aggression against the Republic of Yemen with 73 raids. These strikes targeted the capital Sana’a, and the governorates of Al-Hodeidah, Ta’izz, Hajjah, and Sa’dah, leading to the martyrdom of five and injuring six others from our armed forces.

The American and British enemy bears full responsibility for this criminal aggression against our Yemeni people, and it will not go unanswered and unpunished.

The Yemeni Armed Forces will not hesitate to target sources of threat and all hostile targets on land and sea in defense of Yemen, its sovereignty, and its independence.

This brutal aggression will not deter Yemen from its position of supporting and standing with the oppression of the Palestinian people. The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm their continued prevention of “israeli” ships or those heading to the ports of occupied Palestine from navigation in the Arabian and Red Seas.

Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs, the best master, and the best helper.

Long live Yemen, free, dignified, and independent.

Victory for Yemen and for all the free of the nation.

Sana’a, 1 Rajab 1445 Hijri

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP):

The Popular Front condemns, in the strongest terms, the aggression of the coalition of evil against Yemen and emphasizes the necessity of intensifying strikes against the American, Western, and zionist aggression.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine strongly condemned the aggression of the American, British, and zionist coalition of evil against Yemen early this Friday morning. It confirmed the failure of the objectives of this aggression, stating that the quick Yemeni response to American and British targets is proof of the lies propagated by the American and British propaganda machine, which claimed the success of these strikes in stopping Yemen’s capabilities.

The Front asserted that this aggression is not only against the Yemeni people but also against Palestine, the Arab nation, and all the free people of the world. Its malicious objectives are not to protect maritime navigation in the Red Sea but to protect the security of the zionist entity. This is evident from the significant and costly losses it suffers and the strong strikes it faces from the Palestinian and Arab resistance factions. The Front stressed the ability of the Yemeni army to confront the aggression and to stand firm, given its high fighting will and noble, honorable stance.

The Front saluted the original Yemeni stances and its valiant army for standing beside the Palestinian people since the beginning of the occupation’s aggression on the Gaza Strip. It affirmed that contemporary history will record in golden letters these honorable Yemeni stances that revived the hope in the capabilities of the Arab nation to support Palestine and strike the enemy.

The Front considered the Bahraini regime’s participation in this aggression against the Yemeni people as a blatant betrayal and a treacherous stab in the side of the Arab nation, confirming that this disgrace will continue to haunt this zionist, decrepit, and submissive regime and one day it will pay the price for its betrayal of the nation and its causes.

The Front called on all the living forces in the region to take their natural place and engage in the trench of confrontation alongside Palestine, Yemen, and all the oppressed and to intensify the strikes against the American, zionist, and Western aggression that aims to try to impose surrender on our peoples, and enforce dominance and normalization on the Arab nation, and liquidate the Palestinian cause.

Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Central Media Department

https://www.struggle-la-lucha.org/2024/ ... -genocide/

[blindpig]

War in the Red Sea: what happened off the coast of Yemen on January 15
January 16, 2024
Rybar



Last night, Yemen's Houthis fired an anti-ship missile at the American destroyer USS Laboon in the southern Red Sea, but the ammunition was intercepted by one of the ground-based aircraft.

And already in the afternoon, fighters of the Ansarallah movement attacked the container ship Gibraltar Eagle and again unsuccessfully: the civilian ship escaped with only a small fire, after which it calmly departed in the opposite direction.

At the same time, Houthi spokesman Yahya Sari today issued an official statement in which he acknowledged Ansarallah’s involvement in the incidents and announced his intention to continue attacks on all ships from the United States and Great Britain .

Nevertheless, the continued tension in the Red Sea region has not led to a sharp decrease in cargo traffic through the Suez Canal . As before, a significant portion of companies are willing to take risks by choosing a shorter route.

New attempts at Ansaralli attacks
Last night, the Yemeni Houthis attempted to hit the Arleigh Burke -class destroyer USS Laboon with an anti-ship missile in the southern Red Sea. The ammunition shot down one of the planes based at US air bases in the region off the coast of Al Hodeidah . In fact, this is the first time since the crisis began that ground-based fighter aircraft from the US Air Force have been used to counter Houthi missile attacks.

And already in the afternoon, fighters of the Ansarallah movement launched another anti-ship missile at the container ship Gibraltar Eagle , which belongs to the United States , sailing under the flag of the Marshall Islands . The first reports of the incident directly contradicted each other: some claimed that the ship had received significant damage, others stated that a missile hit the sea. In fact, as a result of the attack, a minor fire occurred on the ship, which was promptly extinguished by the crew. After this, Gibraltar Eagle departed on the return route. At the same time, many kept silent about the fact that two missiles were launched at the container ship, but one of them, as a result of an abnormal operation, fell on the territory of Yemen.

On intercepted Houthi attacks in the Red Sea

To date, militants from the Yemeni Ansarallah movement have fired 31 missiles and 91 drones, of which 12 missiles and 12 UAVs reached their targets. Despite the large number of interceptions, a fairly extensive arsenal of weapons and the high intensity of attacks on various US military targets (or a destroyer like this morning), it is quite possible for Ansarallah to keep the entire region in serious tension and put pressure on the ultra-Orthodox in Israel. Increased risks for shipping and insurance companies have led to an 80% drop in revenues at the Israeli port of Eilat due to shipping companies refusing to sail the Red Sea in favor of going around Africa, which has increased transit times and therefore costs. In addition, given that there has not yet been a full-fledged response from the Houthis to the recent massive missile attack on Yemen, we can expect a demonstrative and prepared attack by Ansarallah militants in the near future.

About shipping in the Red Sea



The continuation of Houthi attacks and the general militarization of the region, as expected, did not lead to a cessation of cargo traffic through the Red Sea. Yes, individual companies are gradually announcing the suspension of transportation, as, for example, QatarEnergy did , which temporarily stopped supplying liquefied natural gas through the region. At the moment, the management of the Qatari state-owned company plans to send its cargo through the Cape of Good Hope in southern Africa until the route through the Red Sea becomes safe again.

Nevertheless, the lion's share of companies still lay their routes through the Suez Canal. This was largely influenced by the Houthis’ statements about the attack only on ships associated with the Israelis. At the same time, today Houthi spokesman Yahya Sari said that all ships from the United States and Great Britain are now becoming a legitimate target for attacks. However, so far the Houthis have been able to hit only civilian ships with varying success, while warships have repelled all attacks.

About demonstrations in Yemen

A series of videos have appeared in the Arab media about protests taking place across the country in support of the Gaza Strip and against the aggressive policies of Western countries. Participants in the demonstrations were both military personnel and ordinary citizens, including teachers and students of the most prestigious university in the country - the University of Sana'a . First of all, these videos are aimed at convincing viewers of the unity of the population in supporting the Ansarallah movement and Palestine . Moreover, such videos appear in local media quite regularly and were released even before the conflict in the Red Sea escalated. And the plot has not actually changed: the same calls and accusations against Israel and the United States.

Political-diplomatic background
On the proposal by EU representative Josep Borrell to direct a naval operation in the Red Sea.


Yesterday, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security, Josep Borrell, sent a formal proposal to EU member states to launch a naval operation to ensure the safety of shipping in the Red Sea against the backdrop of ongoing attacks by the Yemeni Houthis. According to him, a significant part of the ships passing through the Red Sea is sent to Europe, so a long blockade of the region by the Houthis will lead to increased costs.

Josep Borrell's initiative to create a separate European naval mission is very interesting, given earlier statements by other European politicians. It is likely that in this way the EU seeks to strengthen the British-American grouping located in this region. In particular, Germany announced its readiness to take part in the EU naval mission in the Red Sea of ​​the European Union.
However, the issue of creating a separate naval mission involves spending large financial resources, and therefore it is not yet clear whether all EU member states will approve Josep Borrell’s proposal. Previously, Spain refused to participate in the EU operation in the Red Sea if accepted.

https://rybar.ru/vojna-v-krasnom-more-c ... -yanvarya/

Google Translator

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Israel and the U.S. Are Already Feeling the Weight of Houthi Justice

Hugo Dionísio

January 14, 2024

For better or worse, the Houthis are the only political and military force doing anything practical to demand that Israel pay for its acts.

For better or worse, the Houthis are the only political and military force doing anything practical to demand that Israel pay for its acts. And despite the attack on their territory, we can already say with certainty, that the Ansar Allah movement and the pro-Palestinian resistance, in general, will be strengthened by this event.

Were it not for a rebel movement, made up of poor people living in great hardship, no other country in the region would do anything to bring some moral justice, however little, to this whole process. As they say, whoever has a lot, has the most to lose. Only the poor give what they need and this is a good example of that.

It is even curious that here and there, apart from a few diplomatic and commercial measures, the most serious diplomatic action for Israel has come from outside the continent and the Middle East: South Africa’s accusation at the International Court of Justice that the state of Israel should be tried for genocide. Of course, the accusation was immediately branded with the very vulgar epithet of “anti-Semitic”.

But the Houthis’ role in the Red Sea has produced absolutely unpredictable and — perhaps unexpected — results for the West. The Red Sea trade route accounts for 12% of global maritime trade and 12% of all oil trade. An important part of the commercial ships that travel between the Indian Ocean and Europe pass through the Red Sea.

Moreover, the importance of this route for Israel is truly decisive. The Port of Eilat essentially lives off this sea route. Disconnecting the port of Eilat from the international routes to Asia not only means that many of the goods that Israel receives from Asia will become more expensive and risk perishing, with all the economic burdens that this entails. But it also means cutting tourism, since the city of Eilat is an important tourist destination in the Middle East, and losing the competitiveness of its exports to the Asian continent.

But in the end, the financial damage might even be surmountable. What would be difficult to overcome would be the fragility in which an effective blockade of the Red Sea crossing would leave Israel.

Let’s imagine a likely scenario in which the war fronts multiply and the conflict spreads to other regions (Lebanon, Syria and Yemen). Just as Oman has closed its airspace to military planes to bomb Yemen, a country like Egypt could, in a situation of great pressure and popular pressure, consider closing the Suez Canal to boats that are linked to Israel. It wouldn’t be unheard of, as we know. Oman itself has prevented U.S. military aircraft from passing through, for various reasons. One of them has to do with a certain neutrality that the sultanate is assuming on the international stage. However, this “neutrality” is also due to the ethnic tensions it has in its territory, which borders Yemen. In any case, leaving the port of Eilat open only to boats coming from the Suez Canal would be strategically fragile.

So, while it cannot be denied that the Houthi naval blockade may be a burden for the other Arab nations that receive their ships at Red Sea ports, the fact is that for none of them the situation is as dramatic as it is for Israel. Since the goods that Israel receives by sea and from Asia can come from the Red Sea without having to go through the Suez Canal, the port of Eilat is absolutely strategic for the country’s economic stability. And without economic stability, wars can’t be won. Even against those who arm themselves with little more than stones and sticks and a few handmade rockets.

In this sense, and in the face of the danger, it didn’t take long for the U.S. to try to defend its spearhead in the Middle East, trying to organize an international coalition that they called the “Operation Prosperity Guardian”.

The attempt to mask this initiative as something intended to defend the world and the global economy will not have had the intended propaganda effects. The fact is that, as has been widely reported, many nations did not want to join in — some directly, others directly and indirectly. If, on the one hand, this was a call from the U.S., on the other, at the time, the primacy established by the Houthi for the blockade still resonated in minds: only Israeli ships or those in any way linked to that country’s interests are affected.

The refusal of some may have been due to the fear of being associated with defending the interests of the state of Israel, whose image on the international stage was increasingly linked to the bombing of civilians, the bulldozing of cities, the deportation and displacement of entire families from their homes and the summary execution of human beings.

With effort, the U.S. managed to get its team together. We couldn’t have expected anything other than what happened on January 12th, namely the attack on Yemen and in particular on the Houthi forces.

The event was widely reported in the corporate media as if it were a real victory. An attack, by world powers, one of them one of the biggest military powers on the planet, perpetrated against a depleted people, scarred by hunger and war, is sung about as a historic victory.

But the truth is that the Houthi had already won. We all remember the messages from Blinken or Biden during their frequent visits to the Zionist state: we can’t let the conflict spread to the Middle East, they said. Well, although this attack avoids the worst, which is to ensure that Israel doesn’t get involved on several fronts, so that it can carry out its plan for Gaza with impunity and calmly, the fact is that, at the moment, a new front of conflict has just been opened, which adds to the other fires that the U.S. already has in hand, and it is not yet clear how it will end.

The unpredictability of this conflict doesn’t stop there. No matter how much propaganda Uncle Sam can buy, everyone has already realized that the U.S. and its vassals will go to any lengths to defend Israel, even when it finds itself in an absolutely marginal situation in the face of international law and compliance with the most basic human rights.

With all this, the Houthi have not only managed to make Israel pay a price — still very low — for its campaign against Gaza and for the apartheid it maintains over the Palestinian people, but they have also managed to show the world that for the U.S., when it comes to democracy, human rights, crimes against humanity and war crimes, the scales always tip in favor of its hegemonic interests. What they demand and punish some for, they excuse and reward others for.

We can now only hope that The Hague tribunal does its job and avoids being instrumentalized by hegemonic interests, as happened at the International Criminal Court with Putin, Milosevic and many other Africans and Asians, for whom that court is nothing more than a tentacle of the empire. Let’s hope that some justice is done.

For the time being, the Houthi have already given us something, demanding a higher price from Israel for their actions, unmasking the nature of American support for Zionism and showing the world, once again, that Western nations arrogate to themselves the right to attack wherever and whenever they want, without any backing in international law, without the mantle of the UN, without even having been provoked. Since it was Israel that was provoked.

At least we can see their faces!

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2024/ ... i-justice/

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Houthi Missile Attack Targets Ship in Red Sea



A cargo ship hit by a missile off the coast of Yemen, Jan. 15, 2024. | Photo: X/ @Syed_1109084
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Published 16 January 2024

Tensions have risen in the Red Sea following US-led airstrikes against the Yemeni population.


On Tuesday, a missile fired by the Houthi group targeted a cargo ship sailing in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. However, no further details have been provided regarding the incident or the identity of the ship.

The Houthis have not provided any comments on the attack thus far. Meanwhile, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported an incident approximately 100 nautical miles northwest of Saleef, Yemen.

The UKMTO urged all vessels traversing the area to exercise extreme caution and be alert to potential threats. British maritime security company Ambrey revealed the targeted ship flew a Maltese flag and was Greek-owned.

The missile strike comes less than a day after Houthis claimed responsibility for firing a missile that hit the Gibraltar Eagle, a U.S.-owned oil tanker sailing in the Gulf of Aden.

Tensions have risen in the Red Sea following US-led airstrikes against the Yemeni population under the pretext of attempting to eliminate Houthi military targets. The Houthis claim that the attacks were in response to the ongoing Israeli military campaign in the Gaza Strip.

With the Houthis continuing to wield missiles against ships linked to their opponents, maritime security remains under serious threat in the waters connecting the Middle East.

During the past several weeks, the Houthi group has intensified military operations in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, targeting commercial ships with armed boats, drones, and missiles. The group claims these vessels are either Israeli or heading to Israeli ports.

The Houthis have controlled the capital Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen since ousting the internationally recognized government in 2014. The conflict has drawn in a Saudi-led coalition fighting on the side of the government.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Hou ... -0005.html

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US intelligence concludes: Iran does not dictate Yemeni actions

Western media has long pushed the narrative that regional resistance movements are at Tehran’s beck and call

News Desk

JAN 15, 2024


(Photo credit: Yemen Military Media)

US intelligence agencies have determined that Yemen’s Ansarallah is an “independent movement” that does not take orders from Iran, the New York Times (NYT) cited officials as saying in a report on 14 January.

“American spy agencies believe that the Houthis are an independent organization and that Iran is not dictating their day-to-day operations,” US officials said Friday, according to NYT.

“There is no direct evidence … that senior Iranian leaders — either the commander of the elite Quds Force or the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — ordered the recent Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea,” the report adds.

The White House does claim, however, to have evidence that Tehran is providing weapons to the Ansarallah resistance movement, which is militarily aligned with the Armed Forces of Yemen’s Sanaa government.

This is despite the fact that for nine years, Yemen has been under a tight blockade by a US-backed Arab coalition headed by Saudi Arabia, as well as the fact that its main port and airport remain besieged.

“The Houthis appear able to make many of their own [weapons], including drones assembled from parts obtained from China and other suppliers,” the report goes on to say.

The Sanaa government is also in possession of a significant amount of Soviet era-weapons.

Western media have long labeled Ansarallah an Iranian proxy that receives directives from the Islamic Republic. Western media push similar ideas about Hezbollah and the Iraqi resistance.

In response to such claims, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said in a speech on 3 January: "In the Axis of Resistance, no party dictates to another, and each individual party makes its decisions in a manner consistent with the strategic vision and interest of its country.”

"There are no slaves [in the Axis]: There are only proud, free men who create victories for their people," Nasrallah added.

Washington recently carried out a series of violent attacks on several provinces in Yemen, in response to Ansarallah’s maritime blockade on Israeli shipping in the Red Sea.

Ansarallah and Sanaa’s Armed Forces have, however, vowed to continue their operations, saying they will not be deterred by US attacks.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/us-in ... ni-actions

[blindpig]

Yemen: “We Will Be Victorious in the Red Sea”
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JANUARY 16, 2024
Özgür Altınbaş



“The US and UK have launched a war that can only end with the victory of Yemen, Palestine and the region, the liquidation of colonialism and the independence of the nations of the region.”
– Ali Al-Gahum

After Yemen was hit by air strikes, Ali Al-Gahum, member of Ansarallah’s Political Bureau, provided an interview.

Yemen was hit by air strikes. US President Joe Biden made a written statement on the air strikes led by the US and Britain and supported by Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.

Iran, Russia and Oman condemned the attacks.

In addition to these states, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah issued messages of solidarity with Yemen.

Tension is running high in the region and the steps to be taken in the near future are under scrutiny.

We asked Ali Al-Gahum, a member of Ansarallah’s Political Bureau, on Ansarullah’s stance in the face of air strikes.

To deter support for Palestine and Gaza

Ali Al-Gahum, a member of Ansarallah’s Political Bureau, said of the US and UK-led attacks: “Striking the ships in the Red Sea are desperate attempts to stop Yemen’s major military operations and to deter us from supporting Palestine and Gaza.” Al-Gahum also stated that the purpose of these attacks is to protect Israel, but “They have failed in this regard before and all conspiratorial moves have been thwarted.”

The targets are set

Al-Gahum said that the previous attacks in the Red Sea and the targeting of Yemeni naval forces opened the doors and strategic options of open war, blatant aggression and full-fledged aggression, and “Yemen’s reaction was present and strong, and this reaction was at the same level with the attacks in the Red Sea.”

“We heard our enemies lamenting in the corridors of the Security Council,” he said, referring to the US situation in the United Nations Security Council: “They openly declared that our recent operations are something that they have never experienced since the Second World War. The response to their new offensive will not be delayed as well. The options are wide open, the targets are set, and the plans are on the table.”

Liquidation of US-UK colonialism

Al-Gahum said that they are aware of the colonial and hostile plans of the US and the UK against Yemen and that they will follow a path appropriate to this:

“By Allah’s leave, we will spare no effort to break the American-British arrogance and expel them from the Red Sea, Yemen and the region. And we, as a state and leadership that has decided to support Palestine and attack Israel, will not abandon Palestine and Yemen, whatever it takes. We will target and detain their ships in the Red Sea, and we will continue this war until the victory of Palestine and the destruction of Israel”.

“The US and UK have launched a war that can only end with the victory of Yemen, Palestine and the region, the liquidation of colonialism and the independence of the nations of the region.”

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2024/01/ ... e-red-sea/

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‘Threat to the Market’ Is an Unfounded U.S. Narrative to Legitimize Operations in the Red Sea

Lucas Leiroz

January 17, 2024

Despite having some impacts, the frictions in the region are not really threatening global economic stability.

You can follow Lucas on X (former Twitter) and Telegram.

“Justifying” illegal actions under international law with legitimizing narratives is a common practice of American foreign policy. Washington used the supposed defense of democracy and human rights to attack Yugoslavia and Iraq, as well as to finance color revolutions and regime change operations around the world. Now, in a similar move, the U.S. is trying to justify attacks against Yemen with the supposed need to protect international trade.

The narrative used by the U.S. is that it is necessary to neutralize Yemeni operations in the Red Sea to guarantee the flow of civilian vessels, saving maritime trade from the consequences of the conflict. One of the arguments frequently used by Americans is that the Houthis’ actions “threaten global trade”, which sounds like a convenient overstatement of the level of Yemeni attacks.

First of all, it is necessary to clarify that the de facto Houthi government declared war on Israel only, showing its solidarity with the Palestinian people. The ships captured or bombed by Yemen were initially Israeli vessels or vessels linked to Israel, with no intention on the part of the Houthis to extend the attacks to ships from other countries. However, as more states declare support for Israel, they are obviously targeted by Yemen. The escalatory move, therefore, does not come from Yemen, but from the countries that want to engage in the conflict in favor of Israel.

In addition, there is a real exaggeration when describing the economic impact of the Red Sea crisis. 12% of the world’s maritime trade passes in the region. It is a minority of world trade, not a majority, as Western propaganda makes it seem. Furthermore, the main drop in the flow of ships in the region was not a direct result of the Houthis’ actions, but of the Western escalation. After the American coalition was formed to combat Yemen, the Houthi reaction was naturally to increase attacks, making the flow of vessels unfeasible. Before that, only Israeli ships were unable to cross the region.

The Western media itself admits that “the number of containers passing through the Red Sea fell by more than half in December, to around 200,000 from 500,000 in November”. The Houthis have been maneuvering in the Red Sea since October, while the U.S. began its “Operation Guardian of Prosperity” in December, precisely when non-Israeli ships began to avoid passing through the region. So instead of “protecting international trade,” Washington harmed it.

Another argument often used by Western speakers is a supposed threat to the global oil market. The recent 4% increase in the price of the commodity has been used propagandistically to spread fear in public opinion and endorse a supposed “need to stop the Houthis”. However, experts show that this data is a normal market fluctuation and does not indicate any serious evidence of a major crisis in the near future.

“The impact on oil prices, for now, appears contained. They remain steady, even lower than a couple of months ago, a contrast to the chaos caused when the container ship Ever Given blocked the Suez Canal for six days in March 2021. That incident left hundreds of ships stuck in mooring and reportedly held up $9 billion of global trade for each day of stoppage. The difference lies in the current resilience of supply chains, in contrast to the struggling networks of the past”, an expert’s report reads.

So, what seems to be happening is an American attempt to generate panic among ordinary people, who do not understand the dynamics of international trade and tend to believe everything that is said by the media outlets. This is an example of how so-called “psychological operations” work – as mechanisms of manipulating psychology for military and strategic purposes. By spreading fear among the population and making ordinary citizens believe that they will be harmed because of Yemen’s actions, the U.S. induces the people to support severe military measures against the Houthis, thus legitimizing the war.

The main problem, however, is that Washington does not seem capable of carrying out escalatory maneuvers in the region without suffering serious consequences. After two years of an unwinnable proxy war with Russia, the American military apparatus is not prepared to become directly involved in a new protracted conflict – even though the Zionist lobby in the U.S. is putting pressure for this to happen. A direct war with Yemen would lead to a conflict with Iran, which is the Houthis’ main supporter. Consequently, there would be an all-out regional war that could quickly drain Western defense resources.

Not by chance, the U.S.-led “Prosperity Guardian” coalition failed, dismantling itself before even engaging in combat. In the same sense, the recent bombings in Yemen sounded like a kind of “response to public opinion”. In order not to be demoralized by the failure of the coalition, the Americans and British bombed some regions of Yemen, only succeeding in 25% of the targets (according to the Western media itself). The attacks were promptly retaliated and American spokespeople clarified that the measure was one-off, with no interest in declaring war on Yemen.

Some Western and Zionist militants were expecting a scenario similar to the 2003 bombings against Baghdad and were really disappointed. The U.S., even under Zionist pressure, is not ready to engage on a new front and will try to do everything possible to avoid deeper involvement in the Middle Eastern war.

The best thing the U.S. can do in this complicated scenario is to definitely stop its military intervention in the Middle East. Without Western actions in the Red Sea, Houthi attacks will once again target only Israeli ships, significantly reducing the international economic impact.

https://strategic-culture.su/news/2024/ ... n-red-sea/

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Red Sea Politics: Ethiopia, Somalia, and the US/EU/NATO
Ann Garrison, BAR Contributing Editor 17 Jan 2024


Map of Ethiopia, Somalia, in the Red Sea

An MOU pairing Ethiopia’s Red Sea ambitions with Somaliland’s secessionist aspirations heightens tensions in the Horn of Africa.

The world’s eyes are now on the geostrategic Red Sea waterways where Yemen’s Ansar Allah fighters have stopped Israeli and Israel-bound ships from passing. Other regional tensions have come into play since Ethiopia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Somaliland, a secessionist state within Somalia that has claimed its independence since 1991. Given the geostrategic importance of the Red Sea, the US/EU/NATO are no doubt involved behind the scenes.

I spoke to Somali Kenyan scholar Abdiwahab Sheikh Abdisamad about Red Sea politics and the MOU.

ANN GARRISON: The term “Red Sea” has become a form of shorthand for a region that actually includes the Gulf of Aden and even the Arabian Sea, because ships must pass through these waters to pass in and out of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that leads to the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. One might call it “the Red Sea region” or “Red Sea waterways,” but in common parlance it’s all “the Red Sea.” Is that correct?

ABDIWAHAB SHEIKH ABDISAMAD: That is correct.

AG: What is the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Ethiopia and the secessionist state of Somaliland, and why has it stirred so much anger in Somalia?

ASA: The MOU between Ethiopia and Somaliland was signed on January 1, 2024. It stated that Somaliland would lease more than 20 kilometers of its Red Sea coastline to Ethiopia around the port city of Lughaya for 50 years. In exchange, Ethiopia would recognize Somaliland as an independent state in the future. The agreement says it’s a lease, but the unwritten terms say that Ethiopia will get full port ownership as well as vast swaths of land in Awdal region leading to the coast.

AG: How do you know what’s actually in the unpublished MOU?

ASA: If you see the website of the Ethiopian foreign ministry you will get the correct one, but some of it’s hidden for security reasons. I have reliable sources within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia.

AG: Can you tell us more about why the MOU has stirred so much anger and tension?

ASA: Muse Bihi Abdi, the Somaliland president who signed the MOU, is in office on an expired mandate. Last year he also lost more than a third of the land he used to rule to unionist groups who want to rejoin Somalia, and there are more unionists in rebellion.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, in turn, has his own serious problems at home, where he is fighting multiple armed rebel factions. So this was a meeting of two equally desperate men, both acting without a broad or stable mandate.

This MOU has stirred a lot of controversy in Somalia because the secessionist state of Somaliland is still internationally recognized as a state within Somalia. It is not recognized as an independent state, neither by any of the world’s 193 UN member states nor by multilateral institutions like the UN and the African Union.

Somalia's government strongly opposed the agreement, saying it was conducted without any legal basis and violated the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and political unity of Somalia. Somalia even withdrew its ambassador to Ethiopia.

AG: What would be the consequence if Ethiopia were to recognize Somaliland as a state independent of Somalia?

ASA: That would undermine the security and stability of the entire region. In one scenario, Somalia, Djibouti and Eritrea would sign a mutual defense pact against Ethiopian aggression. In another, Turkey and Somalia would do the same. In a third scenario, Somalia would sign a mutual defense pact with Egypt and invite them to open a military base in Somalia. As you know, Egypt has a longstanding argument with Ethiopia over Nile River waters and the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

AG: Can you tell us about Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s October 13 speech asserting that Ethiopia has a historic right to the Red Sea coast?

ASA: First and foremost, that speech was Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s hallucination. He said that “Ethiopia's existence as a nation is linked to the Red Sea” and that Ethiopia needs a port on the Red Sea to feed its citizens, but Ethiopia already has the capacity to feed its citizens using its own abundant arable land.

He is following the examples of all imperial Ethiopian rulers before him who sought a way to the sea, and he recklessly threatened to go to war for it.

As we speak Abiy doesn’t even control 70% of his own country, so going to war to gain more territory is a ridiculous idea. Fano, an Amhara militia, are fighting him in Amhara Region, and Oromo militias control most of Oromia Region.

Abiy’s speech understandably upset Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti because of Ethiopia’s history of invasion, occupation, and destabilization, especially during the recent 27-year rule of the US-backed Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) between 1991 and 2018. The TPLF invaded and destabilized Somalia in 2006, and it fought a bitter war with Eritrea off and on from 1998 to 2018. In 2020 it fired missiles on Eritrea, drawing it into the Ethiopian civil war that came to be called the Tigray War.

Abiy Ahmed later said that Ethiopia has no intention of invading or asserting its interests through war or aggression, but his speech left deep distrust among Ethiopia’s neighbors, especially Somalia and Eritrea, who are all too aware of Ethiopia’s centuries-old ambitions to dominate the Red Sea.

AG: Does Ethiopia have naval ships without a port of their own in the Red Sea?

ASA: Yes, they have naval ships in the Djibouti Port. It’s an open secret.

AG: There are Ethiopian troops in Somalia to fight al-Shabaab, while at the same time the Somali president says he is willing to defend the nation against Ethiopia. Do you think the Ethiopian troops will be asked to leave?

ASA: These troops are present due to a bilateral agreement, and if they contravene the agreement, it must be suspended and they must be ordered to undertake an immediate withdrawal from Somalia.

AG: These are hugely geostrategic waterways, as is evidenced by all the foreign naval presence and the way that Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement has thrown a wrench in international trade to stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza. It is therefore impossible to imagine that the US/EU/NATO aren’t involved in the background. What role do you see the US/EU/NATO playing?

ASA: US and EU have claimed to support Somalia’s territorial integrity, but I believe their hands are in all of this. I think they are glad to see Ethiopia reigniting tension throughout the region.

Ethiopian officials have already admitted to telling the Americans their plans beforehand, so why didn’t the Americans stop them from this reckless political miscalculation? One can only conclude that they hoped to see what has happened or worse. Tension and chaos facilitate domination.

France has trained 30,000 sailors for Ethiopia even though it has no sea, so what was their motivation? They are supporting Ethiopia behind the scenes, although they claim not to.

In addition to this all, the collective West supports Israel in its brutal campaign of mass killing & destruction in Gaza to protect the interests of Israel with no regard to the 24,000+ Gazans killed. They are also longstanding supporters of the war on Yemen, which has also cost thousands of lives.

The Western navies off the coast of Yemen should all go home or Ansar Allah will consider them legitimate targets in their defense of the Palestinian people.

AG: The US exercises great influence in both Somalia and Somaliland. It has 900 troops and a drone bombing operation in Somalia to, we’re told, fight Al-Shabaab, and it has diplomatic and perhaps even military relations with Somaliland. Is it playing one off against the other?”

ASA: Yes, I think so. The US also has great influence in Ethiopia; its Special Envoy to the Horn of Africa, Mike Hammer, flies in and out of Addis Ababa frequently. It could easily have stopped Abiy from his reckless imperial move.

https://blackagendareport.com/red-sea-p ... d-useunato

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US-UK bomb Yemen for fourth time in one week

The US also re-designated Yemen's Ansarallah resistance as a 'global terrorist group' over their operations against Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea

News Desk

JAN 18, 2024


(Photo Credit: Xinhua)

US and UK warplanes resumed bombing Yemen in the early hours of 18 January, marking the fourth attack on the poorest nation in the Arab world in less than a week.

“US Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles that were loaded to be fired in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen,” CENTCOM said in a statement. “These missiles on launch rails presented an imminent threat to merchant vessels and US Navy ships in the region and could have been fired at any time, prompting US forces to exercise their inherent right and obligation to defend themselves.”


The US and UK attacks targeted the provinces of Hodeidah, Taiz, Dhamar, al-Bayda, and Saada. A Yemeni official told Al-Mayadeen that the western planes hit the same targets during their previous aggressions.

Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder said previously that “it would not be surprising” if these attacks on Yemen only brought more retaliatory attacks from Sanaa.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on Thursday's attacks, saying: “The UN has not given the US the right to strike Yemen, like Libya, this is a departure from the law.”

The Yemeni armed forces announced on 17 January an attack on a US-owned ship in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza.


“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a targeting operation against the American ship (GENCO Picardy) in the Gulf of Aden with several naval missiles," Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces, said in a statement.

Saree added that “the Yemeni armed forces will not hesitate to target all sources of threat in the Arab and Red Seas within the legitimate right to defend dear Yemen and to continue supporting the oppressed Palestinian people.”

Thursday's attacks on Yemen came one day after the US re-designated Ansarallah as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist group.” The reasoning given is the operations carried out by Yemen against Israeli-linked ships in solidarity with the resistance in Gaza.

"Ansarallah is being designated for having committed or attempted to commit, posing a significant risk of committing or having participated in training to commit acts of terrorism that threaten the security of United States nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. This designation and the associated general licenses will be effective on February 16, 2024," the Department of State statement reads.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/us-uk ... n-one-week

Insurers refuse to cover US, UK, and Israeli ships transiting Red Sea

Western trade woes continue to mount over the military action taken by Yemen in support of the Palestinian resistance in Gaza

News Desk

JAN 18, 2024


FILE (Photo Credit: IRNA)

Insurance companies are increasingly refusing to provide war risk coverage to US, UK, and Israeli vessels in the Red Sea over the ongoing military operations by the Yemeni armed forces in support of Gaza.

“Some insurers are no longer willing to underwrite war-risk insurance for vessels with ownership or involvement with the US, UK, or Israel traveling through the Red Sea,” Marcus Baker, an official from the insurance brokerage and risk advisory unit of Marsh McLennan, told CNN on 17 January.

Baker added that the insurance market is “tightening,” and rates for western vessels “could continue to surge.”

Rates for war-risk insurance have spiked from just 0.01 percent of vessel value in early December to 0.7 percent as of mid-January. “That means the cost to insure a $100 million container ship has spiked from $10,000 per voyage to $700,000 today,” CNN reports.

The Ansarallah-led Yemeni government in Sanaa has maintained that any commercial vessel linked to Israel that tries to transit via the Bab al-Mandab Strait will be considered a legitimate military target until the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza stops. The warning was recently extended to include US and UK ships after the two western powers began conducting airstrikes inside the war-torn nation.

On Wednesday, the spokesman for the Yemeni armed forces, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, announced an attack on the US-owned Genco Picardy bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden. He also reiterated warnings that Sanaa “will not hesitate to target all sources of threat in the Arabian and Red Sea, within the legitimate right of defending Yemen and supporting the oppressed Palestinian people.”

Earlier in the week, Yemeni missiles hit a US-owned and operated cargo ship in the Red Sea.

Yemen's pro-Palestine actions forced Israeli-linked vessels to avoid the Red Sea altogether, forcing them to take the more costly shipping route around the Horn of Africa.



However, most commercial vessels have now been forced to follow suit after the US ordered shipping companies to temporarily avoid the key maritime trade route linking Europe to Asia.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/insur ... ng-red-sea

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When Yemen Does It It’s Terrorism, When The US Does It It’s “The Rules-Based Order”

We are ruled by murderous tyrants. By nuclear-armed thugs who would rather starve civilians to protect the continuation of an active genocide than allow peace to get a word in edgewise. Reading by Tim Foley.

Caitlin Johnstone
January 18, 2024

The Biden administration has officially re-designated Ansarallah — the dominant force in Yemen also known as the Houthis — as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist entity.

The White House claims the designation is an appropriate response to the group’s attacks on US military vessels and commercial ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, saying those attacks “fit the textbook definition of terrorism.” Ansarallah claims its actions “adhere to the provisions of Article 1 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide,” since it is only enforcing a blockade geared toward ceasing the ongoing Israeli destruction of Gaza.

One of the most heinous acts committed by the Trump administration was its designation of Ansarallah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), both of which imposed sanctions that critics warned would plunge Yemen’s aid-dependent population into even greater levels of starvation than they were already experiencing by restricting the aid that would be allowed in. One of the Biden administration’s only decent foreign policy decisions has been the reversal of that sadistic move, and now that reversal is being partially rolled back, though thankfully only with the SDGT listing and not the more deadly and consequential FTO designation.


In a new article for Antiwar about this latest development, Dave Decamp explains that as much as the Biden White House goes to great lengths insisting that it’s going to issue exemptions to ensure that its sanctions don’t harm the already struggling Yemeni people, “history has shown that sanctions scare away international companies and banks from doing business with the targeted nations or entities and cause shortages of medicine, food, and other basic goods.” DeCamp also notes that US and British airstrikes on Yemen have already forced some aid groups to suspend services to the country.

So the US empire is going to be imposing sanctions on a nation that’s still trying to recover from the devastation caused by the US-backed Saudi blockade that contributed to hundreds of thousands of deaths between 2015 and 2022. All in response to the de facto government of that very same country imposing its own blockade with the goal of preventing a genocide.

That’s right kids: when Yemen sets up a blockade to try and stop an active genocide, that’s terrorism, but when the US empire imposes a blockade to secure its geostrategic interests in the middle east, why that’s just the rules-based international order in action.


It just says so much about how the US empire sees itself that it can impose blockades and starvation sanctions at will upon nations like Yemen, Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, Syria and North Korea for refusing to bow to its dictates, but when Yemen imposes a blockade for infinitely more worthy and noble reasons it gets branded an act of terrorism. The managers of the globe-spanning empire loosely centralized around Washington literally believe the world is theirs to rule as they will, and that anyone who opposes its rulings is an outlaw.

What this shows us is that the “rules-based international order” the US and its allies claim to uphold is not based on rules at all; it’s based on power, which is the ability to control and impose your will on other people. The “rules” apply only to the enemies of the empire because they are not rules at all: they are narratives used to justify efforts to bend the global population to its will.

We are ruled by murderous tyrants. By nuclear-armed thugs who would rather starve civilians to protect the continuation of an active genocide than allow peace to get a word in edgewise. Our world can never know health as long as these monsters remain in charge.

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/01 ... sed-order/

[blindpig]

Yemenis Attack US Chemical Ship in Gulf of Aden


U.S.-owned chemical tanker Chem Ranger. | Photo: X/ @WarMonitors

Published 19 January 2024

The Houthis will continue attacking ships as the Israeli offensive against Gaza continues.


On Friday, the Yemeni Armed Forces (Houthi) claimed responsibility for launching a missile attack on a U.S.-owned tanker Chem Ranger in the Gulf of Aden.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that a retaliation to the U.S. and British attacks is inevitable and that any new aggression will not go unpunished. The attacks will continue until a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip is imposed, and the siege is lifted," said Yahya Sarea, Houthi military spokesman.

"Navigation traffic in the Arab and Red Seas will continue to all destinations around the world except for the ports of occupied Palestine, and that the block of Israeli navigation or heading to the ports of occupied Palestine will continue until the ceasefire is achieved and the siege is lifted in the Gaza strip," he added.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces continue to implement their defensive and offensive procedures within the legitimate right of defense of dear Yemen and in confirmation of continued solidarity and support for our steadfast brothers in Gaza," Sarea stressed.


Through social network X, however, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) maintained that the two anti-ship ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis failed to hit the Chem Ranger, a Marshall Island-flagged, U.S.-owned, Greek-operated tanker ship.

“The crew observed the missiles impact the water near the ship. There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship. The ship has continued underway,” the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on the social network X.

In November 2023, the Houthis declared that they would attack any ship related to Israel in response to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. They then urged other countries to remove their crews from those vessels and not to approach them at sea.

According to CENTCOM, the Houthis have carried out about 30 drone and missile attacks against ships sailing on important trade routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Yem ... -0005.html

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There is no result, but the blows will continue

January 19, 8:59



Quotes of great men.

- Did the bombing stop the Houthi attacks?
- No.
-You will continue to bomb Yemen.
- Yes.
(c) Biden, 01/18/2024

* * *

“Have I already told you what madness is? Insanity is the exact repetition of the same action, over and over again, in the hope of change. This is madness. (c) Vaas Montenegro

Over the past 2 days, the Houthis have successfully hit 2 more American ships.

The Houthis have officially said that ships from Russia and China are not in danger off the coast of Yemen and that they can both use and use the route through the Red Sea for shipping.
In fact, it was previously known that Russian and Chinese ships do not experience any problems with passage through the Red Sea and the Suez Canal. The Houthis, with the help of Iran, methodically track specific vessels associated with Israel and the United States and hit them specifically, showing a high degree of discrimination in the question of which vessels to hit and which not. So far, there have been no incidents of accidental ships being hit by “wrong countries”. All targets in one way or another belonged to countries hostile to the Houthis and Palestinians.

As a result, Israel has already lost billions of dollars due to Houthi attacks. Shipping companies also suffered enormous damage, and a number of factories in Europe were forced to stop production due to supply disruptions. With further strikes, the cumulative effect of such strikes on global maritime trade will increase.

https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8903311.html

Google Translator

[blindpig]

Yemen pledges safe transit for Russian, Chinese vessels in Red Sea

The Yemeni armed forces have continued to target Israeli-linked ships despite a bombing campaign launched by the US and UK

News Desk

JAN 19, 2024


(Photo Credit: angel217/Shutterstock.com)

A senior member of the Ansarallah political bureau in Yemen, Mohammad al-Bukhaiti, confirmed on 19 January that Russian and Chinese vessels transiting the Red Sea face no threat as long as they have no link to Israel.

"We are ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships in the Red Sea, because free navigation plays a significant role for our country," Bukhaiti said to Russian news channel Izvestia. "Our goal is to raise the economic costs [for Israel] to stop the carnage in Gaza."

"As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened," he added.

In the same interview, Bukhaiti referred to the operation by the Yemeni armed forces in November that led to the capture of the Israeli-linked Galaxy Leader ship.

"[It was] a precautionary step for everyone else to follow our requirements. Ansarallah does not pursue the goal of capturing or sinking this or that sea vessel," he said, also noting that the ship crew "are fine, and we are giving them a warm welcome.”

Despite being named as safe to pass through the Red Sea, China has called on parties to ensure the safety of the Red Sea passage and to uphold the smooth operation of global supply chains, according to its Ministry of Commerce.

Ministry spokeswoman He Yadong said that the ministry will strengthen coordination with multiple government branches to closely monitor the situation in the Red Sea, and to provide support and assistance to Chinese companies.

Sea-Intelligence, an ocean supply chain advisory firm, has said that Yemen’s operations in the Red Sea have been more damaging to the global supply chain than the COVID-19 pandemic was.

The US and UK have attempted to halt the targeting operation by Yemen against Israeli-linked shipping vessels in the Red Sea by asserting dominance in the region and bombing Yemen.

However, when asked if these attacks against Yemen were effective, US President Joe Biden said: “When you say ‘working,’ are they stopping [Ansarallah]? No. Are they going to continue? Yes.”

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/yemen ... in-red-sea

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EXPANSION OF THE RED SEA BATTLEFIELD AND THE NEXT TRADE CRISIS

Betzabeth Aldana Vivas

Jan 19, 2024 , 10:52 am .


Merchant ships sailing near the Suez Canal (Photo: Valeriy Tretyakov)

The commercial stream that borders the west coast of Western Asia began to face significant risks due to the attacks that are taking place in that region after the rise of the genocide in Palestine.

This scenario worsened since the Israeli government announced, in November last year, that it would send warships to the Red Sea , which is one of the fundamental arteries for global trade because it manages to connect transit between the Indian Ocean and the sea. Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, which represents 25%-30% of global container shipping volume.

The Israeli advance was made under the assumption of "strengthening the defense effort in the area", in an attempt to continue the planned escalation. More than in response to this advance, Houthi groups in Yemen demand a ceasefire and an end to the Zionist siege in Palestine. For this reason, they seized the cargo ship owned by an Israeli businessman, "Galaxy Leader", as it passed through the Red Sea near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, another turning point in a new stage of turbulence in the region.

For December, the Secretary of Defense of the United States, Lloyd Austin, announced the formation of a coalition of ten countries , mostly from Europe, with the aim of mitigating missile and drone attacks by the Houthis against flag ships. Israeli transiting through the Red Sea, whose destination is the ports of occupied Palestine. That alliance extended the invitation to join its ranks to each of the 39 members of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

However, this call did not turn out as Washington expected, because countries such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and, surprisingly, Spain, Italy and France , all members of the FMC, did not support the new US strategy of the group of countries. ten. They are clear signs that the intention of the Arab countries is to avoid direct participation that could later be detrimental to the stability of the eastern region, especially Saudi Arabia, which recently managed to advance in peace talks with Yemen.

In this sense, the overwhelming action expected by the White House was reduced, only the United States and the United Kingdom joined in the offensive against at least 60 Houthi targets , about which other news agencies reported that the operation targeted an air base. , airports and a military camp in Yemen. Coercion has not stopped the Houthis' response and they have gone so far as to emphasize that attacks will continue until Israel stops its war in Gaza.

In this regard, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations , Vasily Nebenzya , declared that the United States, the United Kingdom and their allies have violated a UN Security Council resolution on the Red Sea by carrying out these attacks against Yemen. The Russian government's concern lies in the militarization of this commercial step by the West.

The spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani , joined in the rejection of Western actions by declaring that "we strongly condemn the military attacks by the United States and the United Kingdom this morning against several Yemeni cities. These attacks are an arbitrary action, "a clear violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Yemen and a violation of international laws and regulations."


Although attempts have been made to interrupt commercial chains in this context of turbulence, especially those heading to Gaza, it is large companies, such as the American Chevron, that continue to transport crude oil in the region. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is pushing the narrative that supply chain disruptions are becoming more frequent and could reduce shipping capacity by 20% . Under this alarm any excuse could be made that supports a military response led by the United States, or which would further degrade stability both in Yemen and in the entire Arab bloc.

In mid-January, the oil companies Reliance Industries, Abu Dhabi National Oil and Shell reported that they would also avoid the complicated route through the Red Sea, a decision that increased concerns in the hydrocarbon market, as shipments would be delayed using alternative traditional routes. , like the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, one of the longest and most expensive in terms of East-West trade. So far the shock has not been generated in the energy circuit because the global demand indices have not yet been affected.

This situation, from a commercial perspective, leads to an increase in maritime freight costs, delays shipments and generates alarms of inflation in rates. On the other hand, large naval transport insurers have increased their rates as each ship notifies them that they navigate through higher risk areas, which gives rise to additional premiums.

Jakob Larsen , head of maritime safety at the world's largest shipping association, Bimco, commented that the rate increase is being considered "several hundred percent for vessels in the highest risk category." Surely this would be implicated in war risk rates which are usually quoted as a percentage of the ship's value during the period when it operates in risk zones, such as the Red Sea is now.

So, for monetary convenience, companies will divert their fleets along the southern African route, regardless of the delay, or else they must consider the price increase in both marine insurance and all links in the supply chain. .

Faced with this conflictive labyrinth, for now there are two aspects that encompass the interests of the American-Israeli duo to consolidate the obsessive influence over the Red Sea: a) it is a vital commercial route for oil and other goods but, above all, b ) is a strategic location for military operations.

While this is happening, in another angle, President Vladimir Putin plans to open naval navigation through the Northern Sea Route , which would connect Asia and Europe and significantly boost trade in the Arctic region: "The Northern Sea Route of Russia is becoming more efficient than the Suez Canal today.

After recent efforts and diplomatic agreements, such as the Saudi-Iranian agreement, marked a turn towards urgent stability in the region, the current scenario of violence paves the possible path of instability among the countries that make it up, which are now walking on a tightrope where each step is crucial to prevent at all costs that Israel can burn down a prosperous region, which requires cooperation to be its permanent agenda.

https://misionverdad.com/globalistan/am ... -comercial

Google Translator

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Yemenis Attack US Chemical Ship in Gulf of Aden


U.S.-owned chemical tanker Chem Ranger. | Photo: X/ @WarMonitors

Published 19 January 2024

The Houthis will continue attacking ships as the Israeli offensive against Gaza continues.


On Friday, the Yemeni Armed Forces (Houthi) claimed responsibility for launching a missile attack on a U.S.-owned tanker Chem Ranger in the Gulf of Aden.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces confirm that a retaliation to the U.S. and British attacks is inevitable and that any new aggression will not go unpunished. The attacks will continue until a ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza Strip is imposed, and the siege is lifted," said Yahya Sarea, Houthi military spokesman.

"Navigation traffic in the Arab and Red Seas will continue to all destinations around the world except for the ports of occupied Palestine, and that the block of Israeli navigation or heading to the ports of occupied Palestine will continue until the ceasefire is achieved and the siege is lifted in the Gaza strip," he added.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces continue to implement their defensive and offensive procedures within the legitimate right of defense of dear Yemen and in confirmation of continued solidarity and support for our steadfast brothers in Gaza," Sarea stressed.


Through social network X, however, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) maintained that the two anti-ship ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis failed to hit the Chem Ranger, a Marshall Island-flagged, U.S.-owned, Greek-operated tanker ship.

“The crew observed the missiles impact the water near the ship. There were no reported injuries or damage to the ship. The ship has continued underway,” the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) posted on the social network X.

In November 2023, the Houthis declared that they would attack any ship related to Israel in response to the Israeli genocide in Gaza. They then urged other countries to remove their crews from those vessels and not to approach them at sea.

According to CENTCOM, the Houthis have carried out about 30 drone and missile attacks against ships sailing on important trade routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Yem ... -0005.html

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U.S. is Painting Itself Into a Corner in the Red Sea
By Larry C. Johnson - January 19, 2024 0


[Source: sonar21.com]
Joe Biden, amidst his mental confusion, must think he is John McCain reincarnated. I bet he is humming, “Bomb, Bomb, Bomb; Bomb, Bomb Iran.” You know how it is: Iranians, Yemenis, they all look alike. While the bombs are causing some damage in Yemen, Yemen has seen it before and is unfazed. In fact, the bombing appears to be strengthening Yemen’s resolve to continue its blockade of the Red Sea.

The United States does not have enough bombs to force Yemen to surrender. Why? Yemen’s rocket and missile force is mobile. They can move dozens of missiles at the same time in different directions, which then forces the United States, notwithstanding robust Intelligence Surveillance and Reconaissance (ISR), to find the needles in the haystack that is Yemen.


Image of U.S. air strike. [Source: theguardian.com]

The U.S. can kill and destroy some, but not all.

But that is not the big problem. The U.S. Navy does not have the ability to sustain its presence off the coast of Yemen.


[Source: navy.gov.au]


Sea Viper. [Source: navalpost.com]

My friend, Stephen Bryen, has written his usual excellent article detailing the problem:

The first answer relates to the number of missiles aboard a ship. U.S. ships are relying on SM-2 missiles, part of the AEGIS system. One expert estimates the number available as follows:
“The [AEGIS] destroyers have a complement of 96 VLS cells, while the [Ticonderoga class] cruisers have 122. …However, they need to fit a mixture of weaponry in those cells so they can’t all be used for air defense. This includes:
ESSM (quad packed into a single cell)
SM-2 (and its newer counterpart the SM-6)
Tomahawk cruise missiles
ASROC anti-submarine missile
SM-3 anti-ballistic missile
The exact ratio of these weapons is largely dependent on the mission and the possible threats faced. However, at least 200 ESSM and another 100 or so SM-2 or SM-6 seems like a fair guess. Maybe a bit more.”
In short, each of the AEGIS has around 100 missiles.
The British Sea Viper air defense system is the main defense system HMS Diamond relied on to fire at Houthi drones and missiles. “Type 45 Destroyers, also known as Daring-class destroyers, are specifically designed around the Sea Viper (PAAMS) air-defence system. Each Type 45 destroyer is equipped with a 48-cell A50 Sylver Vertical Launching System. This system is designed to accommodate a mix of up to 48 Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles.”
Neither the US nor the British ships can be reprovisioned at sea, so they have a limited ability to “stay in the fight” if it continues for any length of time.
There you have it. Yemen can launch a hundred drones and missiles at U.S. ships and the destroyer escorts will exhaust their supply of air defense missiles. In the 1970s the U.S. Navy had ship tenders that could pull alongside a destroyer and resupply it. Not today. The Vertical Launch Systems have to be reloaded in a port. That means the destroyers will have to sail to Dubai, which means the U.S. aircraft carrier they are accompanying will have to follow because it relies on them for protection from ballistic and cruise missiles.

Here is the bottom line: If you are going to get into a gun fight, you better have enough ammunition on hand to finish it. Only we are not talking about having a million rounds of 9mm pistol ammunition.

The missiles the Aegis system uses are very expensive. Here’s Stephen’s take:

“One needs to add that using missile defense is very expensive. Each SM-2 missile costs $2.1 million each. Sea Viper, which can either be an Aster 15 or Aster 30 costs either £1m to £2m a time ($1.25 million to $2.5 million). Nor does this take into account the challenge of replacing these missiles, once expended. It not only will be more expensive, but could take years of production time.”

Yemen is showing how a so-called third-rate military can effectively bankrupt the naval power of a “Superpower.” The neo-cons urging Biden to attack Iran are math-challenged. Iran has more missiles, drones and rockets than Yemen. If little Yemen is doing this to the U.S., just imagine the havoc Iran could cause.

Washington is like the degenerate gambler who is playing a losing game of blackjack. Instead of accepting his losses, Joe Biden seems intent on doubling down and destroying the reputation of the U.S. Navy as the most powerful force in the world. I suspect the Russians and Chinese are enjoying some heaping buckets of buttered popcorn as they watch this spectacle of national suicide.

https://covertactionmagazine.com/2024/0 ... e-red-sea/

[blindpig]

Yemeni army vows response to latest US-UK air raids

The Yemeni army confirmed that Washington and London launched 18 airstrikes on the capital, Sanaa, and on other areas of Yemen

News Desk

JAN 23, 2024


(Photo credit: Al-Mayadeen)

In a statement on 23 January, Yemen’s Armed Forces vowed to respond to the latest round of US-British attacks on the country, which took place the night earlier.

“American-British aggression aircraft launched 18 air strikes during the past hours, distributed as follows: 12 raids on Amanat al-Asimah and Sanaa Governorate, three raids on Hodeidah Governorate, two raids on Taiz Governorate, and one raid on Al-Bayda Governorate,” Yemeni army spokesman Yahya al-Saree said in the statement.

“These attacks will not go unanswered or unpunished,” the statement added.

US and UK fighter jets launched a fresh round of violent airstrikes on several areas of Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, and other areas of the country late on 22 January.

“These precision strikes are intended to disrupt and degrade the capabilities that the Houthis use to threaten global trade and the lives of innocent mariners,” a joint statement by the US, UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands said.

This was the latest of several attacks launched against Yemen by Washington and London. These attacks have resulted in material damage and a number of casualties, and are said to be protecting international maritime trade.

However, the attacks come specifically in support for Israel, and aim to deter Yemen from continuing its maritime campaign against Israeli shipping.

Since November, Yemen’s Armed Forces and Ansarallah have seized one Israeli-linked vessel, and have targeted over a dozen other ships, either owned by Israelis or Israeli firms, or en route to Israeli ports.

The Red Sea blockade by Yemen is in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance, which Sanaa has vowed to continue until the war on and siege of Gaza come to an end.

Yemen has repeatedly clarified that they will not target any ship that is not Israeli-linked or headed for Israeli ports.

Member of the Yemeni Ansarallah resistance movement’s Supreme Political Council, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, said on 21 January that 64 commercial vessels not linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports have been allowed to pass safely through the Red Sea by broadcasting the message “no contact with Israel” via their identification systems.

However, the US and UK attacks have placed vessels linked to Washington and London in a precarious situation.

“Our operations will include American and British ships, and [US-UK] aggression will not change our position,” Ansarallah leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi said on 18 January.

Several US ships have already been attacked by Ansarallah and the Yemeni army in response to recent US and British airstrikes on Yemen, as well as in response to an earlier US attack in late December, which killed ten Yemeni naval officers.

The latest assault on Yemen came after Yemen's Armed Forces announced in a statement on 22 January that they had attacked the US military cargo ship, Ocean Jazz.

“The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation targeting an American military cargo ship (OCEAN JAZZ) in the Gulf of Aden, using appropriate naval missiles,” the statement read. Washington denied the attack.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/yemen ... -air-raids

Ships broadcasting ‘no contact’ with Israel safely transit Red Sea: Yemen

Yemeni armed forces say that Israeli, US, and British-linked ships are legitimate military targets

News Desk

JAN 22, 2024


(Photo credit: EPA)

Member of the Yemeni Ansarallah resistance movement’s Supreme Political Council, Mohammad Ali al-Houthi, said on 21 January that dozens of commercial vessels not linked to Israel or bound for Israeli ports have been allowed to pass safely through the Red Sea.


“You can visit the Tanker Trackers website, which specializes in tracking ships, to know that the simplest solution for ships to pass safely while crossing the Red Sea is to announce the phrase ‘We have no relation to Israel’ on their automated identification system,” Houthi said.

“This solution has proved its effectiveness, as 64 ships safely passed through the sea by saying this phrase,” he added.

Senior Ansarallah official Muhammad al-Bukhaiti said on 19 January that Russian and Chinese vessels transiting the Red Sea will be safe, as long as they are not associated with Israel.

Houthi’s comments come days after it was reported that several ships, including vessels from China, Cameroon, and Singapore – among other states – had transmitted the message ‘We have no relation to Israel’ on their identification systems to avoid being attacked.

Earlier this month, Saudi tanker Desert Rose wrote VL NO CONTACT ISRAEL on its identification system as it transited the Red Sea.

Since November, Yemen’s Armed Forces and Ansarallah have seized one Israeli-linked vessel, and have targeted over a dozen other ships, either owned by Israelis or Israeli firms, or en route to Israeli ports.

The operations are a show of solidarity with the Palestinian resistance, which Sanaa has vowed to continue until the war and siege in Gaza come to an end.

Yemen has repeatedly clarified that they will not target any ship that is not Israeli-linked or headed for Israeli ports.

“We reiterate that there is no ban on any ship except those linked to the criminal Zionist enemy or those heading to its ports in occupied Palestine,” Ansarallah spokesman Muhammad Abdel Salam said on 16 January.

However, a series of violent attacks launched this month against Yemen by Washington and London have placed US and British vessels in a precarious situation.

Several US ships have already been attacked by Ansarallah and the Yemeni army in response to recent US and British airstrikes on Yemen, as well as in response to an earlier US attack in late December, which killed ten Yemeni naval officers.

“Our operations will include American and British ships, and [US-UK] aggression will not change our position,” Ansarallah leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi said on 18 January.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/ships ... -sea-yemen

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To Hope That China Will Help With Yemen Is Delusional Bullshit

The lunatic Biden policy with regards to Yemen will obviously fail to reach any positive results. The White House and Biden know this and he has even publicly admitted so much.

Last night the U.S.and UK again bombed Yemen:

Monday night’s moves marked the eighth round of allied attacks on the Houthis since the first on Jan. 12. American and British forces said they hit eight targets, including an underground storage site and locations for launching missiles and carrying out air-surveillance.

I doubt that the U.S. or UK knows anything about Yemeni 'underground storage sites' or other missile locations.

It simply does not have such information:

A third senior official said on Monday that figure may have crept up to 30 to 40 percent after at least 25 to 30 precision-guided munitions successfully hit their targets on Monday. But other U.S. intelligence officials who have been briefed on the size and scope of the Houthis’ arsenal say analysts are not sure how much weaponry the group started with.
American and other Western intelligence agencies have not spent significant time or resources in recent years collecting data on the location of Houthi air defenses, command hubs, munitions depots and storage and production facilities for drones and missiles, the officials said.

The delusion in the White House is that 'doing something', like bombing random targets In Yemen, will change things continues. This question is still unanswered:

How to stop the Houthis - Politico, Jan 22, 2024

A senior administration official laid it out as follows. The U.S. attacks on Houthi targets will degrade the militants’ abilities to keep shooting at ships, as will the interdiction of vessels carrying weapons to Yemen. Last week’s redesignation of the Houthis as terrorists will increase the sanctions pressure on them, starving fighters of the resources that bankroll operations.
Eventually, the official continued, regional countries and other nations with an interest in open sea lanes — China, for example — will demand an end to the shipping crisis that has inflated prices and imperiled lives. Meanwhile, Israel’s plan for more targeted operations in Gaza could mean fewer civilian casualties, which would weaken the Houthis’ case for rising to the Palestinians’ defense. An end to the war would remove that rallying cry.

The White House is obviously not even reading the news by the media it directly controls:

Houthis Won't Target Chinese, Russian Ships in Red Sea - Voice of America, Jan 19, 2024

A senior official of the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist group says Chinese and Russian vessels will have safe passage through the Red Sea.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political leadership, said in an interview with the Russian outlet Izvestia that the shipping lanes around Yemen are safe to ships from China and Russia as long as vessels are not connected with Israel, Agence France-Presse reported Friday, citing Izvestia.

The Houthis have said they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians amid Israel’s war against Hamas militants in Gaza and have carried out more than 30 attacks in the Red Sea.

All western container carriers who have serviced the Asia-Europe lines will now lose container booking from Chinese exporters to Europe. The big Chinese container lines, which have openly announced to not service Israel, will now receive those transport orders. They can offer a shorter and much cheaper trip through the Red Sea while western carriers must go all around Africa to be able to reach their destination.

China and to an extend Russia will again profit from such basic U.S. policy mistakes. To hope that they will somehow intervene to end that situation is simply absurd.

Politico concluded the part quoted above with this paragraph:

But even if all those various elements lined up, it’s still not clear the strategic picture the Houthis care about will shift radically enough for a course correction.

That is written to sound nice but it essentially means that the policy is utter bullshit.

As Caitlin Johnstone summarizes:

We live in a dystopian world where it’s completely normalized to subvert human interests to commercial interests, to toss tens of thousands of lives into the incinerator for wealth and convenience. Where war profiteers rake in vast fortunes for selling instruments of mass murder to genocidal governments, and where the most powerful empire in history declares a war to defend shipping containers at the cost of human life.

Don’t ever let these sick freaks convince you that this is normal.

Posted by b on January 23, 2024 at 10:31 UTC | Permalink

https://www.moonofalabama.org/2024/01/h ... .html#more

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US Carries Out Major Strikes Against Houthis in Yemen


U.S. warplane takes off on a mission. | Photo: X/ @HandlerCND

Published 23 January 2024

The U.S. named the strikes "Operation Poseidon Archer," suggesting that they might become more organized and last for a longer period of time.

The Central Command (CETCOM) confirmed that the U.S.-led coalition forces launched new strikes on targets of the Ansar Allah movement (Houthi) on Monday.

The latest strikes, carried out at about 11:59 p.m. Sanaa time, were aimed at 8 targets in Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, the CETCOM said, adding that Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands provided support for the strikes.

"The targets included missile systems and launchers, air defense systems, radars, and deeply buried weapons storage facilities," it stated.

Acting unilaterally or in concert with its allies and partners, the U.S. military has launched eight rounds of strikes against Houthi targets since Jan. 12.


These moves were intended to degrade the Houthis' capability to continue their attacks on commercial and naval vessels sailing in the Red Sea, Bab-Al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden, the CETCOM said.

The U.S. has named the strikes "Operation Poseidon Archer," suggesting that they might become "more organized" and last for a longer period of time.

Earlier in the day, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak discussed Houthi attacks against merchant and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea over the phone.

"They reiterated their commitment to freedom of navigation, international commerce, and defending mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks," the White House informed.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/US- ... -0002.html

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The Biden Administration’s Absurd Justification For Its Yemen War

The unspoken premise behind this justification is that an active genocide should be permitted to continue with zero economic repercussions of any kind, for Israel or anyone else.

Caitlin Johnstone
January 23, 2024

On Monday the US launched its eighth wave of airstrikes in its new war against Yemeni forces, which it has now formally titled “Operation Poseidon Archer”. The strikes are aimed at breaking a Red Sea shipping blockade which the de facto authorities in Yemen have implemented to pressure Israel and its allies into ceasing the genocidal onslaught in Gaza.

At a press briefing on Monday, Principal Deputy State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel uttered a now-familiar Biden administration line when asked if the war would escalate to involve US boots on the ground.

“First, as it relates to the Houthis, the United States is not interested in any escalation, but it is never acceptable for malign actors to target international vessels, to target legitimate commerce that is flowing through the Red Sea,” Patel said. “We’re talking about international waters that allow 30 percent of global container shipping to flow through those waters — 15 percent of seaborne trade. This is a waterway that is vital. And we will always take appropriate steps to hold those accountable that put things like legitimate commerce, civilians, U.S. personnel, in harm’s way.”



Ever since the Biden administration began bombing Yemen, its official spinmeisters have been babbling about commerce and global container shipping to justify it. The unspoken premise behind this justification is that an active genocide should be permitted to continue with zero economic repercussions of any kind, for Israel or anyone else.

It’s just taken as a given by empire managers and their defenders that the money must keep flowing and the gears of capitalism must keep turning at the same rate they were turning before Israel began massacring tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, if not faster. That the horrors being unleashed in Gaza should have no material impact on the rest of the world whatsoever.

The empire will permit you to think thoughts and feel feelings about the butchery in Gaza quietly in the privacy of your own head, and under the right circumstances it will even permit you to attend pro-Palestine demonstrations and share your opinions on social media. But as soon as it comes to physically interfering with the gears of the imperial machine, they’ll blow your guts out.

This is of course absurd. The horrors in Gaza should be affecting the whole world. Our lives should not be proceeding normally, and it’s freakish and obscene that they do. It’s a sign of a profoundly sick civilization that so many of us in the west are able to lose ourselves in idle entertainment and laugh and stuff our faces with snacks and go out on the town while the nightmare in Gaza continues to unfold.

Gaza should be stopping us in our tracks. Hell we should be disrupting the economy ourselves — we shouldn’t have to wait for impoverished Yemenis to do it for us. We should be holding general strikes and stopping ships and disrupting everything we can possibly disrupt in order to force western civilization to look at what it’s supporting in Gaza and bring this mass atrocity to a screeching halt. Instead we’re just sleepwalking through life like we always do while people in the poorest nation in the middle east bravely fight our battle for us.



The empire is not entitled to expect that all commerce keep flowing normally during an active genocide. Israel is not entitled to have zero consequences for its actions, and its trading partners are not entitled to be unaffected by those consequences. The idea that it’s normal and appropriate to use any and all measures to prevent Israel’s atrocities from having any material impact on commerce — up to and including starting a new American war — is self-evidently ridiculous.

It’s been an incredibly draining past 100 days for those of us who’ve been following events in Gaza. There’ve been days when I couldn’t believe the sun dared to shine. The premise that there shouldn’t even be a slight economic downturn as a result of this madness, and that it’s fine to start a war to make sure there isn’t, deserves to be dismissed with extreme disdain.

We live in a dystopian world where it’s completely normalized to subvert human interests to commercial interests, to toss tens of thousands of lives into the incinerator for wealth and convenience. Where war profiteers rake in vast fortunes for selling instruments of mass murder to genocidal governments, and where the most powerful empire in history declares a war to defend shipping containers at the cost of human life.

Don’t ever let these sick freaks convince you that this is normal.

https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au/2024/01 ... yemen-war/

[blindpig]

The Houthis Are Not a Group That Can Be Bombed into Extinction
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JANUARY 23, 2024
Amal Saad


Houthi supporters protesting against US airstrikes near Sana’a, Yemen, 14 January 2024. Photograph: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters

The ‘axis of resistance’ is more than a band of Iranian-backed militias. It’s an ideological alliance.

The war launched by the “axis of resistance” against Israel and the US marks the first time in history that a coalition of non-state actors has collectively come to the defence of another non-state actor, namely Hamas.

Spearheaded by Iran, the axis includes Syrian militias, the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iraq’s Popular Mobilisation Units (PMU) and Yemen’s Houthis or, to give them their official name, Ansar Allah. For the past three months, the latter three have taken the initiative, launching attacks on Israeli and US targets in support of their Palestinian allies.

But rather than acknowledge these groups as having motives and interests of their own, the US, UK and Israel continue to reduce them to a transnational network of Iranian proxies whom they believe can be threatened and bombed into submission, a point made clear by yet another wave of overnight airstrikes. This is a fundamental misunderstanding of the underlying dynamics within the axis and of the unshakeable unity of its members, all of which could make western powers’ intervention in the region even more costly.


A poster depicting Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a protest against US and UK airstrikes in Sana’a, Yemen, 12 January 2024. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

Unlike traditional western coalitions, which are created ad hoc by like-minded states to fight a common threat without any long-term commitments, the axis of resistance began as an enduring alliance that developed into a wartime coalition. Since its inception, what bound the core members together was the mutual provision of military and political support to confront Israel. While Iran furnished Hezbollah, Hamas and other Palestinian groups with longstanding military and financial assistance, Syria offered its territory as a secure supply route for Hezbollah and as a safe refuge for Hamas’s leaders. For its part, Hezbollah provided technical and military training to Hamas, including bomb and tunnel-making expertise, and along with Iran, smuggled weapon-manufacturing technology to the West Bank and Gaza.

In 2013 the axis formed its first wartime coalition, in support of the Syrian state. Hezbollah officially intervened in that war and persuaded Iran to deploy its Revolutionary Guards to Syria, while the newly formed PMU followed suit, further expanding the axis.

Alongside the coalition’s role in Syria, Iran and Hezbollah directly intervened in Iraq in 2014 to assist the PMU in fighting Islamic State. The final addition to the axis were the Houthis, who received military and political assistance from Iran and, according to some reports, military training from Hezbollah, in their war with a Saudi-led coalition that started in 2015.

What makes the axis such a cohesive and durable alliance is its deep-seated ideological pillars and shared strategic objectives. All its actors subscribe to an anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist agenda, with the Palestinian cause as the focal point. Today, it shares two common aims: to force Israel into an unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, and to expel US troops from Iraq and Syria.

In pursuing these aims, the non-state actors in this alliance are acting in accordance with their own political beliefs and strategic interests rather than following Iranian diktat. While Iran has offered material support to the non-state actors within the axis, such assistance has not translated into the kind of exercise of power that characterises sponsor-proxy relationships. This view is shared by the US intelligence official Brian Katz, who has argued that Iran’s non-state allies “are no longer simply Iranian proxies. Rather, they have become a collection of ideologically aligned, militarily interdependent, mature political-military actors committed to mutual defence”. In essence, the nature of this alliance is organic and symbiotic, as opposed to transactional and hierarchical.

This was most recently demonstrated by Hamas’s surprise 7 October attack on Israel of which, according to Israeli and US accounts, Iran had no foreknowledge. Having said that, there does appear to have been a pre-planned “forward defence” strategy whereby Hezbollah, the Houthis and PMU groups would take the offensive and initiate strikes against Israel and the US should Hamas require such assistance. This strategy is being executed today by means of tactical military coordination, which is reportedly occurring within several joint operations’ rooms in various capitals across the region.


Posters depicting Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the former commander of Iran’s Quds Force Qassem Suleimani and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Sana’a, Yemen, 4 January 2024. Photograph: Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

Within this strategy, Hezbollah assumes the role of battle management whereby it directs, plans and coordinates military operations across the different conflict theatres. Three battle arenas outside Gaza are being fought in sync: Hezbollah’s moderate-intensity war with Israel, the PMU’s attacks on US and Israeli targets in Syria, Iraq and Israel itself, and the Houthis’ attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea and occasional strikes on Israel. All fronts are synchronised to pause when the fighting in Gaza is suspended, as demonstrated by the temporary truce in Gaza in late November.

An alliance characterised by such a high level of coordination, reflecting a unity of purpose and vision requires the US and its allies to radically alter their approach to this conflict. The assumption that “sustained” military action against these actors will break their will to continue fighting is as misguided as it is dangerous. On the contrary, military solutions that expand the scope of the conflict will only invite more coordinated responses from across the axis. Western leaders would do well to reflect on the reality that they are not merely trying to protect shipping routes, but are waging an unwinnable war on an ideologically united and tenacious alliance of powerful non-state actors.

The US and UK strikes on Yemen have only increased the prospects of a full-blown regional war, given that the Houthis have now threatened to widen the scope of their campaign to include “all US and UK interests” in the region. Yet the Lebanese-Israeli front remains the most flammable, considering that Israel is champing at the bit for a war with Hezbollah. As the latter is the most powerful non-state actor in the axis of resistance, if not the world, such a war would be the most far-reaching and mutually destructive. Nothing short of a ceasefire in Gaza can prevent the region from turning into a powder keg.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2024/01/ ... xtinction/

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Iraqi resistance joins Yemen in imposing naval blockade against Israel

As US jets once more dropped bombs on Iraq and Yemen, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq vowed to put Israeli ports 'out of commission' until the siege of Gaza is lifted

News Desk

JAN 24, 2024


FILE - A PMU graduation ceremony at a military camp in Karbala in 2019. (Photo Credit: Reuters)

The Secretary-General of the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, Abu Ala al-Walaei, announced during the early hours of 24 January the start of phase two of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq's (IRI) pro-Palestine operations, including enforcing a naval blockade on Israel in the Mediterranean Sea.

“At a time when the criminal US occupation is again blatantly targeting our security forces … we urge the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq to begin the second phase of their operations, which includes enforcing a blockade on Zionist maritime navigation in the Mediterranean Sea and putting the entity’s ports out of service,” Walaei said via social media.


The leader of the Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, a faction within the larger Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), stressed that these operations will continue until “the unjust siege on Gaza is lifted and the horrific Zionist massacres against its people are stopped.”

Hours earlier, US warplanes conducted a new round of airstrikes targeting alleged locations of the PMU-affiliated Kataib Hezbollah in Al-Qaim on the Iraqi-Syrian border and in Jurf al-Nasr south of Baghdad.


At least one death was reported following the attack in Al-Qaim.

The spokesman for Kataib Hezbollah, Jaafar al-Husseini, said in response to the attack: “The resistance will continue to destroy enemy strongholds in support of our people in Gaza until the brutal US-backed killing machine stops and the entire siege is lifted.”

Iraq's National Security Advisor Qassim Al-Araji criticized the US for once again “violating Iraqi sovereignty” by targeting the PMU.

"Attacking the headquarters of the [PMU] in Al-Qaim and Jurf al-Nasr is an assault and a flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and does not help [quell tensions]," the official said, stressing that, "Instead of bombing and targeting the headquarters of an Iraqi national institution, the US side should move to stop the aggression against Gaza."

The Iraqi government has previously demanded that the US army respect the country's sovereignty and security, as Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani stresses that the PMU is an “integral part” of the country's armed forces.

As part of the Resistance Axis' operations in support of the Palestinian people, the IRI – an umbrella group of armed factions that includes members of the PMU – has conducted about 150 attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria over the past several months.

The most recent attack took place on Tuesday morning, with a rocket salvo hitting the US-occupied Conoco oil field in northeast Syria for the second time in three days.

https://new.thecradle.co/articles/iraqi ... nst-israel

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There is a breakthrough
January 24, 13:50



Footage has emerged of the consequences of a Houthi hit on the bulk carrier Zografia, which was trying to slip into Israel under the Greek flag.
The hull is damaged below the waterline.
The Houthis continue to attack ships associated with the United States and Israel.

https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/colonel ... 90_900.jpg

Google Translator

[blindpig]

Yemen's Ansar Allah Movement Attacks USS Gravely Destroyer


Military ship sailing the Red Sea, 2024. | Photo: X/ @WENewsEnglish

Published 31 January 2024

Houthis will also continue to prevent Israeli commercial vessels or ships bound for Israel from transiting the Red Sea.

On Wednesday, Yemen's Ansar Allah Movement (Houthi) attacked a U.S. warship in the Red Sea with missiles.

"In support of Palestinians in Gaza, and response to the aggression on our country, we fired several missiles at the USS Gravely destroyer," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea said.

"We confirm that all U.S. and British warships in the Red and Arabian Sea participating in the aggression against our country are within the target bank of our forces and will be targeted within the legitimate right to defend our country and people."

Sarea also warned that the Ansar Allah Movement will continue to prevent Israeli commercial vessels or ships bound for Israel from transiting the Red Sea until "the aggression against Gaza ceases and the siege is lifted."


Earlier on Wednesday, however, the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said that its navy forces had shot down an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the Houthis toward the Red Sea.

The missile was shot down by USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, and no injuries or damage were reported, it added.

On Monday, the Houthi group claimed responsibility for attacking a U.S. warship in the Gulf of Aden with a ballistic missile, a day after it claimed another missile attack against a British oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden that set the tanker on fire for several hours.

https://www.telesurenglish.net/news/Yem ... -0002.html

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Yemen’s Houthis Speak to MintPress About U.S. Attacks, Their Blockade of Israel
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JANUARY 30, 2024
Mnar Adley



The United States and the United Kingdom recently carried out their eighth round of strikes against targets in Yemen that they claim are being used by Yemen’s Ansar Allah – known in the West as the Houthis – to threaten maritime navigation in the Red Sea.

Since Israel began its deadly incursion into Gaza on October 7 of last year, Ansar Allah has carried out a de facto campaign of targeted sanctions against Israeli economic interests, attacking ships traveling through the Red Sea that it says are tied to Israel. The operation stands out in the region, as neighboring Arab countries have largely stayed out of the fray, if not directly supported Israel’s bloody campaign.

While Ansar Allah has been much discussed (or, more accurately, denounced) in Western media, they have rarely been allowed to talk for themselves. Joining the MintCast today to discuss the blockade and Yemen’s escalating tensions with the United States is Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a senior political official and spokesperson for Ansar Allah. Bukhaiti has held his position since 2014, when the failed U.S.-backed Saudi campaign to dislodge Ansar Allah from power began.

The human cost of the U.S.-Saudi campaign has been enormous. More than 400,000 people are thought to have been killed, and tens of millions of people lost their access to food, shelter and medical treatment in what the United Nations consistently called “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” A 2021 MintPress investigation found that the United States had supplied Saudi Arabia with at least $28.4 billion worth of weapons and provided diplomatic support for the onslaught.

Ansar Allah officials have repeatedly stated that the goal of their blockade is to pressure Israel into halting its assault on the besieged Gaza Strip, a deadly campaign that has claimed the lives of well over 25,000 people and has left over 63,000 injured, most of them women and children.

Ansar Allah says that their blockade against Israeli interests is working, and indeed, major ocean carriers have suspended Red Sea and Suez Canal transport, instead sailing around Africa, creating significant delays and supply bottlenecks and costing the Israeli economy billions.

When asked by reporters if U.S. strikes on Yemen were effective, President Biden responded by stating: “When you say ‘working,’ are they stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes.” Biden is now the fourth successive American president to bomb Yemen, a country of 33 million people.

Join us exclusively on MintPress News to hear a side of the story completely missing in Western media.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2024/01/ ... of-israel/

Crisis in the Red Sea: Death Blow to Global Capitalism
Posted by INTERNATIONALIST 360° on JANUARY 30, 2024
Yoselina Guevara López



On January 29th, Yemen’s Shiite Houthi militias stated that they attacked a U.S. military vessel in the Gulf of Aden, in the southern Red Sea. Likewise, the shipping company Maersk assured this January 24 that two of its merchant ships were attacked by the Yemeni Armed Forces; these ships were carrying U.S. military equipment and could not enter the Red Sea. The Yemeni armed forces confirmed that they will continue to prevent Israeli shipping, as well as vessels bound for the ports of occupied Palestine in the Red and Arabian Seas, until the aggression ceases and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.

The Yemeni armed forces, led by the Houthi militias, with their actions in the Red Sea are dealing a mortal blow to the heart of world capitalism. The mechanism is simple: they prevent the transit of large ships carrying goods from the East to the West in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab strait, thus blocking the short route to the Suez Canal, forcing them to take a longer route.

However, it should be noted that for the Houthis, the current situation allows them to open up prospects for negotiations with Saudi Arabia and, at the same time, to seek a distraction from the growing discontent of the population, which is demanding solutions to the disastrous conditions in the country. Likewise, in the event of a regional escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the Houthis could also find themselves involved in a new phase of fighting of such intensity that it could frustrate their efforts to resist the confrontation with the southern authorities and the Saudi-led coalition, with the certainty of losing the consensus they enjoy in the northern part of Yemen.

Economic consequences of the Red Sea crisis

The Red Sea area dominated by Yemeni armed forces is a vital artery for world trade, with 12-15% of the world’s goods and around 30% of container traffic passing through it. In the first half of 2023 alone, 8.8 million barrels of oil and 116 million cubic meters of liquefied natural gas passed through the Red Sea per day. In fact, at least 20% of European oil and gas imports pass through there.

On the other hand, the situation in the Red Sea is already translating into higher prices for European consumers, given the longer time and higher costs of shipping. Normally, it takes about 27 days for a container ship to reach the port of Rotterdam (Europe’s largest) from Shanghai via the Suez Canal. However, by not being able to use this passage, the new route via the Cape of Good Hope lengthens the voyage by an additional seven to ten days.This translates into 30% more, according to calculations by the shipping platform Flexport; but the problem does not end there because the trips could take up to thirty days longer, depending on the type and size of the vessel. To amortize the costs, several shipowners have already applied surcharges of hundreds of dollars per container, with additional increases for ships originating or bound for Israel. As for the transit of ships, the number of vessels using the Red Sea route has been reduced from 400 to 250. Likewise this decline in the flow of goods from East to West and vice versa has caused not only the jump in commodity prices, but also the slowdown of Tesla’s production in Germany and Suzuki’s in Hungary.

Advantages for Xi Jinping’s China

At the geopolitical level, China is not a key player in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but it is quite convenient for Beijing to send its merchant ships to the Mediterranean Sea through the Houthi-controlled Bab al-Mandab channel, a 32-kilometer-wide strait that connects the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean. However, unlike other countries, the Asian giant can exploit two wild cards or rather two trade routes that would allow it to circumvent the conflict in the Middle East. The first, shared with Russia, is a purely maritime route, the so-called Arctic Route, and the second is the new Silk Road in Central Asia, with its railroads running from China to Europe, which can serve as a viable alternative to shipping goods by sea to their final destinations in Europe.

For now, international trade has shown resilience first with the global Covid-19 pandemic, then with the war between Russia and Ukraine; but it has yet to show resistance to the missiles that are putting maritime transport to the test. After all, it will be the citizens, as always, to put their skin in the game, facing the high prices of goods and services, and most regrettably losing their lives for wars for which no one has asked their opinion or consensus.

https://libya360.wordpress.com/2024/01/ ... apitalism/

[blindpig]

Yemen launches new attack on US warship

Yemeni officials say they are prepared for ‘long-term confrontation’ with the US and UK

News Desk

JAN 31, 2024


(Photo credit: US Navy)

Yemen’s Armed Forces announced an attack on a US warship on 31 January in response to the several violent airstrikes launched against the country this month by Washington and the UK.

“The naval force of the Yemeni Armed Forces … fired several naval missiles at the American destroyer USS Gravely in the Red Sea [ as a] response to the US-British aggression against our country,” Yemeni army spokesman Yahya al-Saree said in a statement on Wednesday morning.

“All US and British warships in the Red and Arab seas participating in the aggression against our country are within the target range of our forces and will be targeted within the right of legitimate defense of our country … and in confirmation of the continued Yemeni position in support of Palestine,” Saree added.

The Yemeni official vowed to continue “to prevent Israeli-linked navigation or navigation towards the ports of occupied Palestine until the aggression against Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.”

CENTCOM announced earlier in the day that the USS Gravely shot down a missile fired from Yemen towards the Red Sea a day earlier.


The USS Gravely is the second US warship targeted by Sanaa over the past two days after firing a missile at the Lewis B. Puller ship on 29 January.

The Yemeni navy attacked a British oil vessel, the Martin Luanda, on 26 January. The ship caught fire as a result of the attack. US and British warplanes launched a fresh round of strikes on Yemen the next day.

Yemen has attacked several US ships in response to recent US and British airstrikes. The operations have not resulted in any deaths or injuries.

The Yemeni army – which is closely aligned with the Ansarallah resistance movement – has vowed to continue its blockade on vessels linked to the US, UK, and Israel.

Defense Minister of the Sanaa government, Major General Mohammad Nasser al-Atifi, said in a statement on 30 January that Yemen is “prepared for long-term confrontation with the [US and British] forces of tyranny.” “US fleets, aircraft carriers, and destroyers will not deter Yemen from carrying out its duties,” he added.

https://thecradle.co/articles/yemen-lau ... us-warship

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Freedom of Navigation: Houthi Attacks Only Part of How a Historical Anomaly Is Unwinding
Posted on February 1, 2024 by Yves Smith

The Wall Street Journal has a useful new article on how safe transit on the seas has been under attack for some time. Yet the West (like so many other problems resulting from arrogance and neglect) effectively ignored the erosion of navigation safety despite the obvious importance of global supply chains and is not able to do much about it any time soon.

One might read this piece as an effort to shift blame away from how the Biden Administration has demonstrated its impotence against a third tier military, the Houthis. But as we’ll show, the bigger picture does not exculpate Biden and his team.

And while we are on the topic of the Houthis, that sorry picture is not getting any better:

A single Houthi missile got through the AEGIS umbrella? Not a good sign. https://t.co/J7MVFQNMCA

— Big Serge (@witte_sergei) February 1, 2024

A Houthi strike has hit a British operated ship in the Red Sea in the latest targeted attack against commercial shipping, according to reports.

Read the latest here https://t.co/J6OQG3CzdH pic.twitter.com/IDUW7KApnI

— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) February 1, 2024

And the Houthis are ready to move up the escalation ladder:

#Yemeni armed forces threaten to cut Red Sea internet cable if the US-UK keep bombing their airports. pic.twitter.com/yaO6XQqiy6

— tim anderson (@timand2037) January 31, 2024

The US effort to pretend that our embarrassing outreach to China to get them to Do Something about the Houthis via Iran (as if the Houthis are Iran’s minions, another officialdom-and-media-promoted misperception) is yet more propaganda:

Iran's Foreign Ministry refuted Western media reports that China called on Tehran to pressure Yemen to halt its attacks on ships in the Red Sea (which aim to stop Israel's genocide in Gaza).

Iran said the story is false. More Western media disinfo.https://t.co/iEzCU3COst

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) February 1, 2024

I have no idea how important these particular cables are, but if the Houthis are able to cut one or ones that carry meaningful traffic to Israel, and not so much to neighbors (as in they might be affected but less seriously), this could be a big blow.

In the meantime, the US and its allies engage in response theater. We already know convoys, even ones with ships with missiles on board, have not been able to dent the Houthi threat. Yet we see this empty display (hat tip BC), Greek frigate to be dispatched to Red Sea is purely for supportive and defensive role. And the text in flight.com confirms that this is a frigate, as in one.

Now admittedly a lot of commentators, including the Journal, are overegging the pudding by focusing on the very recent increase in freight rates, as opposed to a somewhat longer period. That vies is still less than pretty but short of being dire. From Statista:



And more important, rates were much higher in 2022, so this increase, although alarming, is not even within hailing distance of being make-or-break, in terms of costs. From Europe-Cities, in August 2022:

After having broken through the ‘psychological’ threshold of 10 thousand dollars at the end of July, the decline in freight rates of container transport by sea from China to Italy continued, until this week brought them precisely to an average quota of 8,879. dollars for sending a 40-foot box from Shanghai to Genoa.

In fairness, the Journal points out, but much later in the article, that the real deal killer for Red Sea shipping is insurance costs:

Even if those ships can evade Houthi missiles, they can’t hide from insurers. The rate for war insurance through the Red Sea, once a tiny percentage of the total value covered, has ballooned to 1%, a difference that many shippers deem cost-prohibitive. The 10,000-mile-long alternative, circumnavigating Africa, is so fuel-intensive that cargo ships pay steep climate taxes on arrival in Europe and risk scoring failing grades on the International Maritime Organization’s carbon report index.

However, I have not yet seen much discussion of the impact of greater transit times on supply chain, and whether factor is generating any production problems. With tightly-coupled supply chains, there may be some cases of “for the want of a nail” type problems compounding into more serious problems.

Now to the main event, the Journal account of the decline in safety of commercial navigation over time. The article does correctly point out that freedom of the seas, as a reality as opposed to an aspiration, is a relatively recently development. This article depicts it as a result of the US post-World War II order. I am not sure that is accurate. The period right before World War I was also a high tide for international trade. The gold standard broke down during World War I because gold balances could no longer be shipped safely between states…which implies that was normal in the preceding decades. Any informed commentary appreciated.

The Journal story explains that the modern erosion of safety goes beyond the effectiveness of Somali pirates. The fact that the US is on close to non-speaking terms with Russia and China is a factor. Even though the US treated both as geostrategic rivals, there was still enough in the way of pragmatism in the US leadership so as to be able to cooperate with each country on areas of mutual interest. But as soon as the Biden Administration took office, it upped the hostility with both countries (recall our stunning rudeness at the summit with China in Alaska in March 2021). The piece begins with ritual whining that “American vessels aren’t welcome across one of the world’s most vital transport lanes” and how Russia has allegedly made the Black Sea unsafe. But its then gets to the bigger picture, for instance showing the changes in sea routes over the last year:



More from the Journal:

Until the 20th century, trading nations competed in blood for the right to ship merchandise to foreign ports; these days they compete on price and quality.

Ships handle more than 80% of global goods, according to the U.N.

Not long ago, the world’s most powerful navies cooperated to secure the seas. When Somali sailors seized two Chinese vessels in 2008, Beijing sent warships to help the U.S. patrol the Horn of Africa. After the Cold War, Russia teamed up with the U.S. military to clean nuclear waste from the Arctic Sea, before melting ice opened new shipping possibilities. For now, there is little chance those three world powers could summon common cause.

The U.S. can still call on allies in Europe or Japan, whose navies once spanned the globe. But today they are lightweights with few warships or skilled personnel they can mobilize in a crisis: The British navy has fewer sailors than it did during the Revolutionary War 250 years ago, when its total population was one-seventh its current size. The U.S. Navy, sidelined during decades of counterterrorism campaigns, is stretched securing not just shipping lanes but also undersea data cables and gas pipelines that have become equally important to economic output.

This discussion envisages navies as the means of responding to threats to shipping. But anyone who has been paying close attention to the Houthi attacks, or the Ukraine conflict, recognizes that the old paradigms of how to wage war have been disrupted by ISR and long and intermediate range missiles, particularly precision missiles. Surface vessels are sitting ducks. We’ve seen in the Red Sea how they exhaust their supply of missiles and then have to be resupplied. Worse, and this is a US own goal. First, see this section of a late 2023 article in Defense News:

In early October, the U.S. Navy reloaded a destroyer’s missile tubes using a crane on an auxiliary ship pulled alongside the destroyer, rather than a crane on an established pier.

Reloading a vertical launching system, or VLS, is a challenging maneuver, given the crane must hold missile canisters vertically, while slowly lowering the explosives into the system’s small opening in the ship deck.

It’s also a maneuver the Navy cannot yet do at sea. This demonstration took place while the destroyer Spruance was tied to the pier at Naval Air Station North Island, as a first step in creating a more expeditionary rearming capability.

But in the near future, that same evolution between a warship and an auxiliary vessel could take place in any harbor or protected waters around the globe. One day, it may even take place in the open ocean, thanks to research and development efforts in support of a top priority for the secretary of the Navy.

Translation: reloading in the open seas is vaporware. So US surface ships can’t respond effectively to opponents who can fire lots of cheap missiles or even drones. And that’s before getting to the US procurement propensity to prefer fewer, pricey and fussy weaponry to cheap, rugged, and ample, made even worse by the fact that the US never took air defense seriously. So not only do we have trouble maintaining continuity of defense due to ships needing to run back to port to get new weapons, we don’t have enough either.

Due to the state of search, I cannot verify when vertical launching systems became prevalent in the US navy. I dimly recall Larry Johnson discussing it in an interview, and if my memory is correct, before 2000 older designs were common, and that among other things meant missiles could be brought to ships by air. Any reader corrections or confirmation appreciated.

Second, even if our approach to shipping defense were sound, it’s also woefully underpowered:

At the time [1945], the U.S. Navy boasted about 7,000 ships….

Today, America’s navy can field fewer than 300 ships and the world’s largest fleet belongs to Beijing, which is reinforcing its unilateral claim on the vast South China Sea by creating and fortifying artificial islands. Stavridis called it “a preposterous claim that has been rejected by international courts,” but he predicted China will continue “and challenge anyone seeking to conduct freedom of navigation.”

The article contains more hand-wringing about how the Houthis are picking and choosing who they target, and Chinese and Russian ships are not on that list.

The story ends with a bleat about the threat to Our Way of Life:

“We really have to think about freedom of navigation and the connection between that and global trade,” said Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.

“As a nation very much dependent on global trade, we believe that global trade is the way forward,” he said. “Without global trade, and the possibility of maintaining the benefits of global trade, this world would be a much more difficult one for us to live in.”

It would seem obvious that advanced economies need to kick their extended supply chain habit. The CO2 cost of shipping argues against it. The US decision to get aggressive with Russia and China would have seemed to imply, as a matter a prudence, reducing international interdependence. The impact of Covid lockdowns and surges on international commerce should have been a wake-up call. With all the blather about reshoring, talk exceeds action. After all, restructuring production is hard and often requires investment. So why not kick the can down the road and hope you can foist this problem on your successors?

It seems on this front, like so many others, change won’t happen until it is forced on the incumbents, which means the results will be worse than necessary. Welcome to late-stage capitalism.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2024/02 ... nding.html

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SIMPLICIUS THE THINKER
JAN 31, 2024

<snip>

Interestingly, there’s now reports that a Yemeni missile has come the closest ever to hitting a US ship, bypassing the vaunted AEGIS system and making it all the way up to the last line of resort: the CIWS.



Even the ‘experts’ are worried:



The report details:

CNN reports per 4 Defense Officials that yesterday's interception of a Houthi ASCM by USS Gravely (DDG-107) was at a range of around 1 mile or 0.86 nautical miles and was shot down by the ships CIWS. This is the first specifically reported instance of a Houthi missile/drone interception by CIWS. This is the closest interception to date the others being within 5-10 miles away.

This is extremely uncomfortably close. To be shot down at under 2km means if the missile was going at, let’s say, Mach 2, which is 2500km/h, it would have been only 2-3 seconds away from hitting the ship. At Mach 3, it was 1.5 seconds away from striking the ship. That’s what you call a close call.

An infographic of what the US Navy claims to have shot down thus far:



At the same time, they claimed to have shot down another Yemeni ballistic missile with an SM-6, US’ most advanced and expensive air defense missile, with a hefty price tag of $4.3M. And Houthis have apparently been finding what has been matched by experts to be exactly SM-6 (rather than SM-2, etc.) carcasses all over the beaches:



Just further confirmation that US is expending a huge amount of its most precious and expensive AD systems. Not to mention the Houthis continue to get closer and closer:



(Much more at link.)