...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of...
’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is
God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the JewsThey like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him...
rebels show no signs of ending their "reckless" attacks on fat merchantmen in the Red Sea, the top commander of US naval forces in the Middle East says today, even as more nations join the international maritime mission to protect vessels in the vital waterway and trade traffic begins to pick up.
Since Operation Prosperity Guardian was announced just over 10 days ago, 1,200 merchant ships have traveled through the Red Sea region, and none has been hit by drone or missile strikes, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper says in an News Agency that Dare Not be Named interview. He says additional countries are expected to sign on. Denmark was the latest, announcing yesterday it plans to send a frigate to the mission that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced during a visit to Bahrain, where the Navy’s 5th Fleet is based, saying that "this is an international challenge that demands collective action."
"I expect in the coming weeks we’re going to get additional countries," Cooper says, noting Denmark’s recent announcement.
Cooper says the coalition is in direct communication with fat merchantmen to provide guidance on "maneuvering and the best practices to avoid being attacked," and working closely with the shipping industry to coordinate security.
An international task force had been set up in April 2022 to improve maritime security in the region. But Cooper says Operation Prosperity Guardian has more ships and a persistent presence to assist vessels.
Since the operation started, the Houthis have stepped up their use of anti-ship ballistic missiles, Cooper says. "We are clear-eyed that the Houthi reckless attacks will likely continue," he says.
The Houthis threatened to attack any vessel they believe is either going to or coming from Israel. That has escalated to apparently any vessel, with container ships and oil tankers flagged to countries such as Norway and Liberia being attacked or drawing missile fire.
The shipping company Maersk had announced earlier that it had decided to re-route its ships that have been paused for days outside the strait and Red Sea, and send them around Africa instead. Maersk announced December 25 that it was going to resume sending ships through the strait, citing the operation. Cooper said another shipping company had also resumed using the route.
"Commerce is definitely flowing," Cooper says.
Related:
Operation Prosperity Guardian: 2023-12-24 Red Sea Security Coalition Melts Down As Member Nations Refuse to Accept US Leadership
Operation Prosperity Guardian: 2023-12-21 'They dream of attack.' The Houthis are not afraid of the US and will attack ships
Operation Prosperity Guardian: 2023-12-20 Nineteen nations have actually signed on to the new maritime task force focused on countering Houthi attacks on commercial shipping, planning underway; Ansarullah condemns
Operation Prosperity Guardian: 2023-12-24 Red Sea Security Coalition Melts Down As Member Nations Refuse to Accept US Leadership
Operation Prosperity Guardian: 2023-12-21 'They dream of attack.' The Houthis are not afraid of the US and will attack ships
Operation Prosperity Guardian: 2023-12-20 Nineteen nations have actually signed on to the new maritime task force focused on countering Houthi attacks on commercial shipping, planning underway; Ansarullah condemns