US strikes Houthi missiles in Yemen and Iran-backed militia in Iraq

The Times, January 24, 2024

Event

 

Two cargo ships sailing close to the Gulf of Aden came under attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday night, the White House said — forcing the US navy to intervene as the Iran-backed militia intensified its maritime assault on commercial shipping. Houthi forces fired three anti-ship ballistic missiles at the US-flagged and owned container vessel Maersk Detroit as it was transiting the Gulf of Aden, according to the US Central Command. The latest strikes followed another wave against the Iran-backed group on Monday night, which involved Royal Air Force jets as well as US aircraft and warships. The Houthis have been hit with retaliatory strikes over their targeting of Red Sea commerce, which has forced shipping companies to divert traffic from the route to the Suez Canal. The militant group, which controls swathes of Yemen, including the capital, Sanaa, has carried out a growing number of missile and drone attacks along the key international trade route since Israel launched its assault on Gaza, deepening concerns that the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war could destabilise the Middle East.

Comment

This week has seen further escalation between the Houthis based in Yemen and the US/UK alliance.

The Houthis are demanding Israel stop the war in Gaza and until they do they will attack ships in the Red Sea. On Friday they launched a ballistic missile which hit an oil tanker. The tanker is still on fire as I am writing this. 15% of all maritime world trade passes through the Red Sea – hence the US/UK striking the Houthis. But the epicentre of this new conflict in the Middle East is Israel. It is as if Israel is the vortex of war sucking in more and more nations. We know that eventually all nations will be drawn to battle of Jerusalem. That process could now be underway…

Bible quote

For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. (Zechariah 14:2)

Andy Walton, Weekly World Watch

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Preceding

1. U.S. Mideast naval exercise and fighter jets in the Gulf region
2. Britain and US launch airstrikes on Houthi targets
3. Russia, Turkey, Iran Condemn Attack on Yemeni Houthis

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Additional reading

1. War, why do people keep doing it
2. Yemen: A country in crisis, what the world governments should practice and advocate to bring an end to the conflict
3. Americans need to end their indifference concerning the war in Yemen
4. The dangerous repercussion of the failure of renewed truce in Yemen
5. How Israel’s Arrow 3 intercepted a missile in first space battle
6. The West and the Houthi rebels – January 2024
7. UK and allies issue ‘final warning’ to Houthis over Red Sea attacks
8. US hits 14 Houthi missiles aimed at ships in the Red Sea

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Related

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5. US battle with Houthi rebels shows no signs of stopping
6. Houthi rebels seen clashing with US Army
7. Biden U-Turns on Houthi Terrorists
8. Israel bombs Gaza as disagreements with U.S. simmer
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10. Striking Back: U.S. and U.K. Forces Unleash Precision Strike
11. Houthi Rebels Fire 3 Ballistic Missiles At US Ship In Gulf of Aden
12. Yemen’s Houthis In Russia Discuss “Pressure” On US, Israel
13. Global trade is being disrupted by Red Sea attacks
14. Yemen’s Houthis Claim Attack On British Oil Tanker In Gulf Of Aden
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