“As part of appeasing Iran, the Biden administration dismantled sanctions on the Houthis” — a pro-Iranian militia who rule much of the country of Yemen and routinely chant “death to America” — and got “the Arab Coalition to stop attacking them.” The emboldened “Houthis launched a massive ground campaign, attacked Israel hundreds of times, and shut down freedom of navigation” in the Red Sea, the crucial shipping lane leading to the Suez Canal, notes a national security expert.
After a Houthi drone attacked an apartment building in Israel’s biggest city, Tel Aviv, killing a man, Israel struck back, destroying oil refineries in Yemen’s major port city of Hodeidah, reports The Guardian:
Powerful airstrikes rocked the Red Sea port city of Hodeidah a day after Israeli officials vowed revenge for a drone that struck Tel Aviv. Airstrikes hit a refinery and electricity infrastructure, sparking a huge blaze. It was the first direct hit on Yemen since Houthi rebels there began targeting Israel with missiles and drones last year. All of those attacks had been intercepted, until Friday’s strike on Tel Aviv killed one person and injured at least 10….Images circulating on social media…showed vast plumes of smoke and fire next to the port … three people were killed and 87 wounded in the strikes on the oil facilities.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its fighter jets struck military targets in the Hodeidah Port in Yemen “in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the state of Israel in recent months”….The Houthis vowed to “plague” Israel with further attacks in response to the strikes….The latest airstrikes in Hodeidah follow a vow by Gallant, to “settle the score” after a Houthi drone struck central Tel Aviv, killing one man and injuring 10 other people. The Houthis immediately took responsibility for the attack, claiming they had used a new type of drone undetectable to radar and air defense systems. Israeli officials instead blamed “human error”…Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the drone had been detected by air defenses but an “error” meant it was not intercepted…The drone exploded over an apartment block, causing a blast that shook Tel Aviv, killed one and unsettled residents…Gallant pledged to strengthen Israeli air defenses after the attack amid an increase in rocket attacks from Hezbollah that struck northern Israel…A barrage of 40 rockets targeted the occupied Golan Heights and Galilee in the day after the drone attack, challenging Israeli air defenses.
Yemen’s Houthis, an Iran-backed militia that control much of the country’s west including the coastline, have targeted ships in the Gulf of Aden and disrupted maritime activity in the Red Sea for months in response to Israeli attacks in Gaza.
In May, the Houthis shot down an American drone worth $30 million. The Houthis rule most of the populated areas of Yemen. The downing of the drone was announced in a video that chanted the Houthi slogan, “death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.” The northern part of Yemen, which contains 80% of its people, is controlled by the Houthis.
The Houthis have restored slavery in Yemen. “The Houthis have expanded slavery in the areas of Yemen they control. More than 1,800 Yemenis are kept as slaves” by Houthi leaders.
Due to their support for terrorist attacks, the Houthis were designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the Trump administration. But after taking office, President Biden foolishly took the Houthis off the terrorism list. That was followed by a massive increase in missile launches and attacks on shipping by the Houthis, who began attacking ships traveling in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the Red Sea (which leads to the Suez Canal).
The Houthis have a history of shooting down American drones. They are provided with the weapons needed to do so by Iran, which gives them missiles capable of high-altitude attack. The Biden administration has shown weakness toward Iran, such as paying a $6 billion ransom to Iran for 5 American hostages. That encouraged other countries like Russia to take American hostages, which they did, resulting in more Americans being held hostage than when Biden took office.
The Iran hostage deal emboldened Iran’s proxy, the Houthis. They subsequently took aim at the West, by attacking ships in the Red Sea, and seizing a Japanese ship, to keep vital cargo from passing through the Suez Canal.
The Houthi attacks have greatly increased the cost of international shipping, and delayed shipments, by making many ships take a time-consuming detour around southern Africa rather than risk being fired upon by the Houthis as they travel near Yemen toward the Suez Canal.
The Washington Post noted in January that “Sending a ship through the [Suez] canal will now cost $3 million to $5 million, including higher insurance charges, security and danger pay for the crew. Diverting around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope — which adds seven to nine days to the trip from Asia — could cost $2 million for the same type of ship.”
Al Jazeera notes that the strikes on ships by the Houthis “have forced ships to change route, causing major disruptions in companies’ chains of production. Attacks on vessels by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have disrupted international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.”
In recent years, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the Houthis. The type of drone shot down in May — an MQ-9 Reaper — costs around $30 million, can fly at up to 50,000 feet, and can remain airborne for a full day.
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