Sergio Rodríguez Gelfenstein*, Prensa Latina employee
In West Asia, Israel's growing aggressiveness and the interventionist presence of the United States have polarized the political situation. Iran's recent agreement to resolve differences with Saudi Arabia, as well as other agreements that have brought Egypt and Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, among others, closer together after years of distancing, helped end the war in Yemen and suggest a weakening of the imperialist-Zionist pole and strengthening of resistance.
In this context, due to history and geographical location, the role of Yemen and the Houthi movement is crucial. It is worth noting that Ansarolá has never hidden his ties with Iran. They are united by their common affiliation with the Shiite branch of Islam. Both the founder of the Ansarolá movement and his brother, who leads it today, spent part of their lives in Qom (Iran), where they furthered their political and ideological education, while at the same time studying the Shiite current based on the idea of legitimate succession to the throne of Muhammad corresponds to the descendants of his son-in-law Ali, in contrast to the Sunnis, who believe that Muhammad's successors should be the companions of the Prophet. Sunnis come from “Ahl al-Sunna,” which translates to “the people of tradition,” and Shiites come from “Chiat Ali,” which means “the party of Ali.”
However, this does not mean that Yemenis are merely “accessories” of Iran. In addition to the financial, military, communication and political support it has received from Tehran, the Ansarolá movement has had autonomy and its own decision-making in both the war against Saudi Arabia and its allies since 2015 and now in 2015 Implementation of their actions demonstrated support for the cause of Palestine.
It should be known that, in addition to its assistance to Palestine, Yemen has a direct conflict with Israel, since the Zionist entity supported the United Arab Emirates (UAE) during the war that began in 2015, which allowed it to occupy the country's strategic islands . Yemenis from Socotra, located in the Arabian Sea about 350 kilometers south of the country's coasts, to establish a series of spy bases to collect intelligence throughout the region, particularly in the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb.
As for the UAE-Israel base in Socotra, it should be noted that it also benefits the United States, as through it it would be able to control the port of Gwadar in Pakistan, which is part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). is where Beijing developed a port so that the goods unloaded there could be shipped overland to China, particularly the western region.
But in light of current events, it should be noted that Yemen's actions in support of Palestine began almost immediately after October 7th. On the 19th of that month, a U.S. Navy ship shot down missiles and drones that the Houthis had fired against Israel, according to Pentagon information released at the time.
A few days later, on October 27, six people were injured when two drones crashed in Taba, an Egyptian city on the border with Israel, after being intercepted by the Israeli Air Force. On October 31, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a drone attack on the Zionist entity. His army reported intercepting a missile fired from the south.
Houthi military spokesman Gen. Yahya Sari said in a televised statement that the group had fired a “large number” of ballistic missiles and drones at Israel and that there would be more attacks in the future “to help the Palestinians.” to achieve peace.” . In response, Israeli National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said the Houthi attacks were intolerable, but declined to elaborate when asked how Israel would respond.
In mid-November, Ansarolá announced that his forces would attack all ships flying the Israeli flag or owned or operated by Israeli companies. A few days later, General Sari pointed out that “Yemeni forces continue to prevent ships of all nationalities bound for Israeli ports from passing through the Arabian Sea and the Red Sea until they transport the food and medicine that the Palestinians need “Gaza Strip.”
In light of this decision and after the first attacks on ships heading to Israel, four major shipping companies (the largest container line in the world, Mediterranean Shipping Co. [MSC], based in Switzerland, the Danish Maersk, the French CMA CGM and the German Hapag-Lloyd) stopped the passage of their ships through the Red Sea. These companies transport approximately 53 percent of the world's shipping containers and account for approximately 12 percent of global trade by volume. It must be said that 30 percent of the world's container traffic passes through Bab al-Mandeb.
In response, on December 19, the United States proposed the creation of a naval alliance to launch an operation called “Prosperity Guardian,” ostensibly intended to “secure freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.” In reality, this meant declaring war on Yemen and militarizing that sea. But the Arab country remained unchanged in its position. Its forces have declared that “any attack on Yemeni assets or on Yemeni missile launch bases would stain the entire Red Sea with blood” and ensured that they have “weapons to sink your aircraft carriers and destroyers.”
The escalation of actions since then is obvious. On December 20, the leader of Ansarolá, Sayyed Abdul Malik Al-Houthi, stated in a speech that the responsibility of the Islamic world in the conflict in Palestine is great, especially that of the Arab region, as it is “the heart of this world.” ” In this sense, he regretted the Islamic-Arab stance at the summits that were held on the issue, especially in Saudi Arabia. Al Houthi described this view as weak. He pointed out that it is a commitment of the Arab and Muslim populations to should give support to Palestine, but regretted the focus of some countries on what he called a “conspiracy against Palestine.” The Yemeni leader said his country does not expect a positive attitude or role towards Palestine from the United States and European countries. For these reasons He believed that the Resistance Axis perspective should aim to increase the level of military support for Palestine. In this regard, Al Houthi warned that Ansarolá would “attack American warships if its forces were attacked by Washington after the launch of Operation Guardian of Prosperity.” According to Al Houthi, the United States is not trying to protect global shipping, but rather to militarize maritime space.
However, the United States could not agree to carry out the tasks of the naval alliance that was created. Disagreements arose with Arab countries that should join the coalition, making it difficult to mount a coherent response to Houthi attacks on ships transiting the Red Sea. Two key countries in the region involved in the long war against Yemen – the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia – have taken opposing stances against the Houthis, posing a major obstacle to the US plan to end sea attacks. One option Washington is considering is a military response to the Houthis, but some Arab allies have rejected this. They prefer to insist on diplomatic channels and strengthen maritime protection for ships.
The expert analysts interviewed in this context agree that the objectives of the operation are vague, assuming that the naval commanders were not given precise orders. Likewise, coalition ships, although equipped with advanced weapons, can only limit themselves to repelling missile attacks and escorting merchant ships with warships, which is questionable given the actions carried out over the last eight years, since Yemen's missile arsenal is inexhaustible at any time “Neither the management of global shipping companies, nor the captains of merchant ships, nor insurance companies are willing to play this lottery,” said Ilya Kramnik, an expert on Russian naval forces.
Michael Horton, co-founder of Red Sea Analytics International, an independent consulting firm dedicated to providing unbiased analysis of security dynamics in the Red Sea, noted that the Houthis “have used only a portion of their weapons, without deploying longer-range missiles.” “, more advanced drones and harder-to-detect sea mines.”
In this situation, US Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan noted that “the United States has also accepted the ongoing attacks as normal.” […] According to the New York Times, this has left President Joe Biden facing a difficult decision regarding future Houthi deterrence plans. It must be taken into account that Saudi Arabia is not seeking an escalation of the conflict that could lead to a laboriously negotiated ceasefire with the rebels. For his part, Tim Lenderking, US special envoy to Yemen, said in mid-December: “Everyone is looking for a formula to reduce tensions.”
On the other side of the conflict, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Major General Hossein Salami, announced on December 24 that progress could be made toward a complete naval blockade of Israel if the Mediterranean Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar and other navigable waterways were blocked . So far, Yemen has already managed to almost completely block the Israeli port of Eilat on the Red Sea, which is only operating at 15 percent capacity. It is worth noting that Ansarola's missile forces managed to hit an Israeli ship deep in the Arabian Sea, near India, far from Yemeni territory. Iran, for its part, has long-range drones and hypersonic missiles that could easily attack merchant ships sailing through the Mediterranean towards Israeli ports in the event of an all-out war against Zionism.
Likewise, in preparation for a battle of a different dimension against Israel, the Yemeni army announced that it has 20,000 reserve soldiers trained and ready to fight alongside the country's armed forces against the Zionist entity and the coalition it leads. UNITED STATES.
On December 28, Yemen warned the United States and its partners against the militarization of the Red Sea and said it would increase attacks against enemies if the blockade of Gaza continues. In this regard, the commanders-in-chief of the Yemeni Armed Forces met a day earlier to discuss the latest regional developments and review the combat readiness of the troops. At the end of the meeting they declared that they were ready to carry out the orders of the leader of Ansarolá.
On January 4, after a Yemeni naval contingent faced US forces in the Red Sea, losing three small boats and ten fighters, the commander of the Yemeni Coastal Defense Forces, Division General Muhammad Al-Qadiri, warned that his country did not reserve the right to to respond, but would respond by targeting the islands, the Red Sea, and “the bases where the Zionists and the Americans are stationed.”
Should the United States and its alliance ultimately decide to directly challenge the Houthis in the Red Sea, they will face a massive naval war from the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. If this were to happen, an unstoppable spiral of confrontations of unforeseeable proportions would begin.
In any case, Yemen has already managed to use its strategic position as a force in the global balance, asserting itself as an important part of the ongoing confrontation equation and expressing one of the boldest forms of support for the Palestinian people opposing those of Israel supported forces face the war machine of the United States and Great Britain, which was an important letter of pressure against Zionism and its North American mentor.
Control of the Suez Canal means control of 90 percent of world trade and directly impacts Israel by hurting its economy. In this sense, the Houthis managed to do what Israel and the United States had previously tried to avoid at all costs: “turn the Gaza genocide into a global crisis.”
Lebanese journalist Khalil Harb stated in an article in the online magazine The Cradle, citing the World Bank, that Israel imports and exports “nearly 99 percent of goods through rivers and sea routes” and that more than a third of its GDP depends on trade goods.
For his part, Brazilian journalist Eduardo Vasco, specialized in international politics, pointed out that, in addition to the direct impact it causes in West Asia, the Houthi movement also “paralyzes the global economy, that is, the functioning of capitalism.” regime that is “at the root of the problem of war of aggression in the Middle East.” In this context, he believes that the United States and Israel have limited opportunities to carry out a direct attack on Yemen, as it would lead to retaliation against the United States’ allies States in the region could come, “mainly against their oil fields, which would brutally worsen the economic crisis.” with an oil crisis” (which has already begun). This is why the Saudis are cautious while the UAE wants strong action against the Houthis.”
At the last minute and near the end of this article, information arrived that Yemen had attacked a US ship carrying supplies to Israel, in response to recent US attacks against Yemeni naval forces.
In response to the statements of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Yemen's Deputy Secretary of State Hussein Al-Ezzi confirmed “the security of shipping to all destinations, except the ports of occupied Palestine”, categorically denying those of Washington, London and Berlin spread false information about shipping safety.
The preceding lines demonstrate the ability and decision of the Yemeni people to play a specific role in Israel's war against Palestine. In fact, they make it clear that, although it is a small country and excluded from economic development globally and regionally, it retains a will to fight that expresses the old feeling of existence as an independent nation and challenges the main world powers by doing so puts obstacles and obstacles in the way of the imperial implementation of its policies in the region through the full support of Israel.
(Erratum: The first part of this article, published last week, says: “However, after recognizing Yemen's independence in 192, Britain converted Aden into a protectorate and in 1937 into a colony.” It should read: However, “After After Britain recognized Yemen's independence in 1928, it turned Aden into a protectorate and a colony in 1937.” Many, many readers let me know. I take responsibility and also thank the media that published the articles and who edited it , to make it readable. Thank you all and apologize.
Yemen. An invincible people! (JO)
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*Bachelor in International Studies, Master in International and Global Relations. Doctor of Political Science
(Taken from selected signatures)