Russia, Turkey, Iran Condemn Attack on Yemeni Houthis

VOA, January 12, 2024

Event

Thursday’s retaliatory attacks by U.S. and British forces on Iranian-backed Houthis inside Yemen have prompted support and condemnation from the international community.

Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani “strongly slammed the military strikes by the U.S. and Britain,” in a statement, calling it “an arbitrary move” that

“clearly breached Yemen’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and was against international laws and regulations.”

NATO ally Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the strikes

“a disproportionate use of force,”

just as Israel is doing in Gaza, and accused the U.S. and Britain of trying

“to turn the Red Sea into a sea of blood.”

He accused both countries of escalating tensions in the region. Russia also condemned the attacks, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmtry Peskov calling the strikes “illegitimate,” and accused the United States and Britain of

“trying to adjust the international law system to its actions.”

Comment

The strikes a few days ago by the US and UK against the Houthis in Yemen has caused anger and condemnation by three main nations – Russia, Turkey and Iran. All three nations are fully lined up with the Palestinians and see Israel as the aggressor. Iran wants the total destruction of Israel. Turkey (the only Muslim nation in NATO) has turned against Israel and is now siding with Russia. Russia under Putin had fairly good ties with Israel but has now turned against them. Putin is siding with Iran as Iran is helping Putin’s war in Ukraine. All three nations are lined up against Israel and therefore condemn the bombing of the Houthis who are also against Israel.

Ezekiel 38 tells us that Russia will assemble allies to attack Israel in the future. Iran and Turkey are on that list.

Bible quote

Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, ….and the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, (Ezekiel 38:2-6)

Andy Walton’s Weekly World Watch

Britain and US launch airstrikes on Houthi targets

The Times, January 12, 2024

Event

Explosions were heard across Yemen late on Thursday night as British and US forces launched strikes on Houthi targets, after the Iranian-backed group ignored warnings to stop attacking ships in the Red Sea. Rishi Sunak, who had authorised the military action hours earlier and briefed ministers in an emergency cabinet meeting, said the situation could not be allowed to stand. He said the UK had taken

“limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence”.

President Biden said that Australia, Bahrain, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand and South Korea had also provided backing. Saba, the Yemeni press agency, reported attacks in the capital, Sanaa.

“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea … These attacks have endangered US personnel, civilian mariners, and our partners, jeopardised trade, and threatened freedom of navigation,”

President Biden said.

Comment

The war between Israel and Hamas has escalated once again. Now it has spread to a direct conflict between the US/UK and the Houthis based in Yemen. The Houthis have said they are attacking ships in the Red Sea in support of the Palestinians and will only stop when Israel stops its war. The Houthis have been armed with sophisticated missiles and weapons from Iran. In Joel 3 we read of this situation. God speaks of the final conflict over Israel in this chapter. He asks (almost sarcastically)

“what have you to do with me O Tyre and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine?”

Tyre = Hezbollah and coasts of Palestine = Hamas in Gaza. But then we read in verse 8 that these people will be sold to the Sabeans – a people far off. Their kingdom was called Saba in Yemen!

Bible quote

Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O Tyre, and Zidon [Hezbollah], and all the coasts of Palestine? [Hamas] will ye render me a recompence? ….I return your recompence upon your own head;  And I will sell your sons and your daughters into the hand of the children of Judah, and they shall sell them to the Sabeans [Yemen], to a people far off: for the LORD hath spoken it. (Joel 3:4+6)

Andy Walton’s Weekly World Watch

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Preceding

U.S. Mideast naval exercise and fighter jets in the Gulf region

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Additional reading

1. Yemen: A country in crisis, what the world governments should practice and advocate to bring an end to the conflict
2. Americans need to end their indifference concerning the war in Yemen
3. The Strategist: The post-American Middle Eastern order
4. The Roots and Consequences of Hamas’ Strategy
5. In the news the Fourth week of December 2023
6. The start of 2024
7. The West and the Houthi rebels – January 2024
8. Why is the US scared of Israel despite global condemnation of its support for the Zionist regime?
9. UK and allies issue ‘final warning’ to Houthis over Red Sea attacks
10. How Israel’s Arrow 3 intercepted a missile in first space battle

U.S. Mideast naval exercise and fighter jets in the Gulf region

US warship and fighter jets sent to UAE after Houthi missile attacks

The Biden administration is sending an additional warship and more fighter jets to the Gulf to help defend the United Arab Emirates in the face of missile attacks from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
The UAE shot down three hostile drones that penetrated UAE airspace yesterday, the UAE’s ministry of defence announced February the 2nd, in the fourth attack since January 17. The interception was “away from populated areas” and happened at dawn, according to Emirati officials. The USS Cole, a guided missile destroyer, would be sent to “partner with the UAE navy”, the American defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, said. He also announced “fifth generation” fighter jets, a category that includes the latest F-22 and F-35 models, would be deployed to the Gulf state, most likely at Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra airbase.

There are a number of interesting things happening here.
First of all the US is militarily supporting the UAE. The UAE is one of the small Gulf Arab states on the Arabian peninsula. This is the exact area of Sheba and Dedan in the Bible. Sheba and Dedan we are told are allied to Tarshish and the young lions. Tarshish is Britain (the old lion) and the young lions are offspring of Britain – i.e. other English speaking nations. The reason they are not named in Ezekiel 38 is simply because these nations had not been developed at the time Ezekiel wrote. So the US supporting the UAE is part of Ezekiel 38:13 being fulfilled
The Houthi’s (attacking the UAE) are one of Iran’s proxy armies. Iran is attacking the UAE through its proxy army the Houthis to warn the US that it can destabilise the region if it doesn’t get its way over the nuclear deal….See Isaiah 21.

A grievous vision is declared unto me; the treacherous dealer dealeth treacherously, and the spoiler spoileth. Go up, O Elam: besiege, O Media; all the sighing thereof have I made to cease. (Isaiah 21:2)

Elam / Media are areas of Iran. Iran will rise up and besiege.

Israel participates in huge U.S. Mideast naval exercise alongside Saudi, Oman

Israel is taking part in a huge U.S.-led naval exercise in the Middle East, for the first time publicly joining Saudi Arabia and Oman, two counties it has no diplomatic relations with despite its normalisation of ties with some Gulf states. The International Maritime Exercise 2022 (IMX 22) includes around 60 countries and comes amid heightened Gulf tensions after missile attacks on the United Arab Emirates by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement, including a foiled attack aimed at a base hosting U.S. forces.
Israel normalised relations with Gulf states the UAE and Bahrain in 2020, brought together by shared worries about Iran, and first held a joint naval drill with those two countries in November. But this is the first time Israel has participated in an IMX exercise, and publicly alongside Saudi Arabia with which it has no diplomatic ties. Bahrain hosts the U.S. Navy Fifth Fleet’s headquarters as well as some operations for CENTCOM.

Israel has become increasingly close with the Gulf Arab states. In 2020, Israel and the UAE and Bahrain signed the Abraham Accords. These agreements were to normallise relations between these nations. One might ask why Arab nations are signing normalisation agreements with Israel – surely they are enemies?
The reason is this – they all have one greater shared enemy – Iran. They realise they have to come together to counter Iran’s growing malign influence in the region. On Thursday February the 3rd, the Israeli defence minister visited the kingdom of Bahrain to sign a security cooperation agreement, the first between Israel and a Gulf nation. This defence agreement enhances the Abraham Accords signed in 2020.

The Bible says that Dedan (the exact area of Bahrain) will be onside with Israel when Russia and Iran invade Israel…

Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13)

Andy Walton

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