The statement by US President Donald Trump that Iran would be held responsible for continued attacks by the Yemeni Houthi movement on shipping in the Red Sea sharply raises the temperature in the ongoing escalation between US forces and the Yemeni Shi’ite Islamist movement in that area.
“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences,” read the president’s message.
In a speech on Sunday, meanwhile, Houthi leader Abd al-Malik al Houthi vowed to “respond to the American enemy in its raids, in its attacks, with missile strikes, by targeting its aircraft carrier, its warships, its ships.” He added that “We also still have escalation options. If it continues its aggression, we will move to additional escalation options,” according to a report by the Associated Press.
An interesting and less discussed aspect of the Houthis’s network of alliances is their deepening relationship with Russia. Already a year ago, US officials revealed that operatives of Russian military intelligence were present in Sana’a, advising the Shi’ite Islamist group.
The March 5 US Treasury Department statement announcing action against seven high-ranking Houthi members referenced the burgeoning Moscow-Sana’a relationship, noting: “These individuals have smuggled military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and also negotiated Houthi weapons procurements from Russia.
“The Office of Foreign Assets Control is also designating one Houthi-affiliated operative and his company that have recruited Yemeni civilians to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine and generated revenue to support the Houthis’s militant operations.”
Complete Article
m.jpost.com
“Every shot fired by the Houthis will be looked upon, from this point forward, as being a shot fired from the weapons and leadership of IRAN, and IRAN will be held responsible, and suffer the consequences,” read the president’s message.
In a speech on Sunday, meanwhile, Houthi leader Abd al-Malik al Houthi vowed to “respond to the American enemy in its raids, in its attacks, with missile strikes, by targeting its aircraft carrier, its warships, its ships.” He added that “We also still have escalation options. If it continues its aggression, we will move to additional escalation options,” according to a report by the Associated Press.
An interesting and less discussed aspect of the Houthis’s network of alliances is their deepening relationship with Russia. Already a year ago, US officials revealed that operatives of Russian military intelligence were present in Sana’a, advising the Shi’ite Islamist group.
The March 5 US Treasury Department statement announcing action against seven high-ranking Houthi members referenced the burgeoning Moscow-Sana’a relationship, noting: “These individuals have smuggled military-grade items and weapon systems into Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and also negotiated Houthi weapons procurements from Russia.
“The Office of Foreign Assets Control is also designating one Houthi-affiliated operative and his company that have recruited Yemeni civilians to fight on behalf of Russia in Ukraine and generated revenue to support the Houthis’s militant operations.”
Complete Article
In its attacks on Houthis, the United States is missing the Russian connection
BEHIND THE LINES: The US administration appears to fail to notice the broader alliance taking shape behind these forces, and the interconnectedness of the current assault on the West.
m.jpost.com
