The threat of a regional war in the Middle East is troubling world leaders as Islamic extremist groups climb back to the top of international headlines, this time with the backing of state-sponsored terrorism….READ FULL ARTICLE...READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE ▶▶
The Houthi terrorist group has been a long-standing nuisance in the Red Sea due to its near-decade-long attacks on military and merchant ships using increasingly sophisticated weapons systems.
Following Hamas terrorists’ deadly Oct. 7 assault on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, Houthi-led attacks in the Red Sea have drastically increased, and the group has vowed not to cease its operations until Israel stops its attacks against Hamas and the Palestinian people.
However, these strikes are rooted in more than Houthi opposition to the war in Gaza and point to an increasingly sophisticated geopolitical tactic by U.S.’s chief adversaries, Iran and Russia.
Houthi fighters march during a rally of support for the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and against the U.S. strikes on Yemen outside Sanaa on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024. Thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups in the Middle East are offering to come to Lebanon to join the militant Hezbollah group in its fight with Israel. (AP Photo)
Iran and Russia have since established a mutually beneficial partnership in an effort to counter Western sanctions slapped on both nations for varying security reasons.
As attacks by the Houthis in the Red Sea continue to mount, it has become increasingly evident how the militant group is being used by both Iran and Russia for their geopolitical aims.
From mid-October 2023 through July, there have been nearly 290 attacks by Houthi terrorists based out of Yemen directed at merchant and military ships in the Red Sea, as well as strikes against Israel, which the U.S. Navy has helped to intercept, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, a nonprofit data collection agency.
Despite the increased U.S. presence in the Red Sea, the head of the U.S. Central Command, Gen. Erik Kurilla, reportedly advised Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that U.S. military operations in the region were “failing” and urged a broader approach, reported the Wall Street Journal earlier this month.
People lift their rifles and chant slogans while participating in a protest staged in solidarity with Palestinians and Yemen’s Houthi rebels in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 22. (Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)
“What we’re doing is basically targeting weapons systems. We’re not making an effort to target Houthi leadership, to target military and political leadership,” Roggio said. “You really want to get to the root of the problem – it’s the Iranians that are behind all of this.”
“The Iranians have not had to pay a price,” he added. “[They] are happy to let the Houthis fight to the death – that’s not really going to impact the Iranians…READ FULL ARTICLE
