Vessels fired at by Houthi Rebels
The Houthi Rebels have struck 10 commercial trade ships and fired at US Navy warships. Since October 19, 2023 more than 40 separate ships trying to pass through the Gulf of Aden in the Red Sea have been attacked. In response, the US has conducted bombing and missile strikes on hundreds Houthi targets in Yemen and militants in Iraq.
Recently the world's headlines have been ablaze on the Middle East, with fears of escalation in the region leading to a larger conflict and the US being caught right in the middle. The Houthis have been preying on a vital shipping lane that passes right off the coast of Yemen The Gulf of Aden. Commercial ships are forced to go into a narrow strip where they are incredibly vulnerable to missiles and drones fired off the coast within 100 miles. It's causing chaos for ships and has caused major delays as well as safety issues for the crew, as well as requiring the US and French Navy to bring ships into place to defend.
Iran has been supplying weapons and training armies to terrorist groups in other countries known as proxy forces. By using these non-state actors----an organization that has significant political influence but is not not technically allied to any country or state--this gives them plausible deniability. It allows for Iran to have armies in possibly hostile and allied countries at the same time giving Iran incredible influence around the region. Two of the groups have taken the headlines are both the Hamas Resistance group in Palestine and the now Houthi Rebel Movement in Yemen. Iran heavily assisted Hamas in the tunnel infrastructure located in Gaza and helped train Hamas militants for many years. Intelligence reports indicate that Iran specifically trained Hamas for the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.
Spokesperson for the Houthi Military
The Houthi movement emerged in the 1990s but almost completely took over the country during a coup in 2014 which entirely pushed the Yemini government from power. Since then the Houthis have seized the capital city as well as almost all of the country's military assets. They are trained by Iran and fall under a militia style force. They then receive large weapon shipments and funds from Iran including ballistic missiles and drone technology that they use to ambush vessels off the coast of Yemen. Although not a technologically advanced force, the use of cheap suicide drones has proven to be a constant threat. They utilize Iranian and Russian made drones such as the Shahed 136 and the Qasef-1, a copy of the Iranian Ababil-T.
Iranian Loitering Munition- Shahid 136
Despite the numerous air campaigns the US has conducted in response, the Houthis have continued to attack the global shipping route, stating their attacks are justified and in response to the continued conflict in Gaza. The Houthis have outlasted decades of bombing campaigns by US ally Saudi Arabia and have fortified themselves deep within caves. The militants use highly mobile and militia tactics, and many expert warfighters state that the “shock and awe strategy” of striking multiple targets at the same time in various locations creates a campaign similar to that of the US in Desert Storm. Many people don't want to see the US involved in another conflict in the Middle East, yet the US has been forced to fill this peacekeeping position where they must keep the balance between defending the sovereignty of commercial vessels whilse preventing a major war or escalation in the region.
Tensions are only increasing and despite the US coalition response and effort to stop the Houthi threat, their attacks are only getting worse. Whereas before ships had effectively been able to avoid major damage, as of Feb.22 2024, entire commercial cargo ships were struck and completely destroyed and burned down. The US and Allied Forces will quickly have to decide if this continued airstrike response is effective or if the the Western Allies will be forced to apply more pressure to stop these Houthi attacks. With the death of 3 US soldiers in Jordan, killed by an Iranian drone launched by separate militant group in Jordan and the continued conflict in Gaza, this complex situation has no end in sight.
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