Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante spoke at an event hosted by Axios on Wednesday, where he said that Houthis are displaying and deploying advanced weaponry, especially missiles that “can do things that are just amazing.”
He described that Houthis “are getting scary” in terms of their capability on display for more than a year in the Red Sea, where they’ve gone to war against Israeli and international shipping.
“I’m an engineer and a physicist, and I’ve been around missiles my whole career,” LaPlante said before the summit, called the “Future of Defense” in Washington, DC.
“What I’ve seen of what the Houthis have done in the last six months is something that — I’m just shocked.”
Among the surprisingly advanced capabilities include anti-ship ballistic missiles. Analysts have widely asserted that without doubt Iran is directly supplying these and other capabilities.
The Houthis have also routinely scored direct hits on commercial shipping vessels with both aerial and drone boats.
The Shia group has also claimed many times to have scored hits on US, UK, and other allied warships; however, the US has kept a tight lid on the extent of this, or actual damage, perhaps wishing to not give the Houthis a propaganda win.
According to the latest attacks on US warships via an announcement this week from the Pentagon:
Houthi forces attacked two American destroyers with drones and missiles as the ships transited the Bab el-Mandeb Strait entering the Gulf of Aden on Monday, a Pentagon spokesman said today.
The Houthis launched at least eight one-way uncrewed aerial systems, five anti-ship ballistic missiles and three anti-ship cruise missiles at USS Spruance (DDG-111) and USS Stockdale (DDG-106), which engaged all the projectiles, Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Tuesday. U.S. Central Command has not yet issued a statement.
The Pentagon says that the warships were not damaged in the attack, which contradicts the account of Houthi spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Sare’e, who quickly claimed the attack on the pair of destroyers was successful.
The past year has seen a number of videos like the below showing destruction of large tankers off Yemen’s coast:
Footage released by the #Iran-backed Houthis of their targeting the Greek-owned and operated bulk carrier Tutor has sent shockwaves throughout the shipping industry, especially after it was confirmed Tutor sunk on 19 June.pic.twitter.com/MkfQMzlHKM
— Bachar EL-Halabi | بشار الحلبي (@Bacharelhalabi) June 20, 2024
The enduring conflict in the Red Sea has been widely acknowledged as the biggest naval battle that US forces have been engaged in since World War II. Several US and Israeli airstrikes have hit Houthi positions hard over the last months, but this appears to have done little to erode Houthi capabilities.
]]>The US and EU have launched numerous military operations committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security in the highly contested region but have failed repeatedly.
The latest failure by the West comes earlier this week after a missile attack bombarded Greek-flagged oil tanker MV Sounion about 77 nautical miles west of the Yemeni port of Hodeidah, forcing at least one EU warship to rescue the crew of the Suezmax tanker—the largest type of oil tanker capable of transiting the Suez Canal.
Here are our reports on the maritime incident:
- Commercial Vessel “Not Under Command” After Red Sea Attack
- Suezmax Tanker Crew Forced To Abandon Ship After Missile Attack In Red Sea
On Thursday, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, the European Union’s military operation committed to ensuring freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Red Sea, warned Sounion was set on fire and carrying 150,000 tons of crude and now “represents a navigational and environmental hazard.”
Fast forward to Friday, when reports from the Financial Times and Reuters say Houthi rebels blew up the oil tanker.
Dramatic video of the explosion was uploaded on 𝕏.
Video allegedly showing the MT Sounion exploding and on fire in the Red Sea. The tanker is carrying 150,000 metric tons of oil. A full release of the cargo would make it one of the worst tanker oil spills in history pic.twitter.com/470pc3OQjj
— Mike Schuler (@MikeSchuler) August 23, 2024
Reuters quoted Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree in a televised speech, that said the tanker “belongs to a company that has ties to the Israeli enemy and violated the ban decision of entry to the ports of occupied Palestine.”
“The blowing up of the ship marks a new tactic for the Houthis. Since the group began its campaign against international shipping last November, it has sunk two ships — the Rubymar, attacked in February, and the Tutor, attacked in June,” Financial Times noted.
Maritime expert Noam Raydan, and author of The Chokepoint, provided a detailed update on the situation in the Red Sea:
As another crude oil tanker connected to Delta Tankers was attacked this week in the southern Red Sea, I was keeping my eye on some tankers linked to transporting Russian oil, previously attacked by the Houthis due to past links to a UK-based company, and which returned to sail in the Red Sea despite experiencing ASBM attacks in March and April. I selected two specific tankers for my piece, partly because they are not in the region now, including an EU-sanctioned tanker.
When the Houthis attacked the two tankers in the past months, the Yemeni group referred to them as “British” ships based on outdated information. Despite the attacks, the vessels sailed recently in the region. So, why do some Russia-linked tankers continue on their route (and some don’t even turn off AIS in a risky area) following a Houthi attack, while other tankers’ owners or operators avoid the Gulf of Aden/southern Red Sea route and instead sail around southern Africa?
Thread: My Red Sea Update (Beyond the Headlines)
Even After Houthi Attacks, Russia-Linked Tankers Return to Red Sea1/3 As another crude oil tanker connected to Delta Tankers was attacked this week in the southern Red Sea, I was keeping my eye on some tankers linked to… pic.twitter.com/2mWR2bFzum
— Noam Raydan (@NoamRaydan) August 23, 2024
Raydan continued:
There has been a focus this week on the aggressiveness of the Houthis and the nature of the attacks against two commercial vessels. But if you’ve been tracking how such attacks have been evolving over the past months, you’d know there’s nothing surprising here. The Houthi agenda is clear, and they’ve shown that they are willing to sink ships that fit their “list of targets” (even if the vessels are carrying cargoes from regional countries, like Iraq), and harm seafarers. “Phase 4” of their maritime campaign has been more lethal.
The journey of the recent tanker attacked in the Red Sea, Sounion (IMO 9312145), was very risky, and the owner/operator knows that (will leave it at that for X). The tanker, based on an image of the ship from 2023, and the one published by the French military, @FFEAU_ALINDIEN yesterday, showed that the Sounion had the name Delta Tankers even painted on the hull side- meaning the tanker/company was easily recognizable at sea. And the tanker was being approached by small crafts. This comes after two other Delta Tankers-connected vessels were attacked earlier this month in the Red Sea.
UKMTO reported today that “three fires have been observed” on the Sounion ( crew rescued already) and the vessel “appears” to be drifting. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the fires in a video published on Telegram today. The Sounion is carrying Iraqi oil cargo loaded in Basrah earlier this month.
Note that such attacks on oil tankers don’t halt supply. They affect the shorter route some tankers prefer to take to get to their destination. Meaning oil is flowing- if it cannot get through the Red Sea to Europe for instance, a vessel takes the Cape route. Iraq as an example: Oil shipments to Europe are being delivered via Suez and the Cape route, but more has been moving via the Cape this year. We are not seeing attacks on energy facilities that greatly affect output or exports.
2/3 On This Week's Attacks, and Oil Flows:
There has been a focus this week on the aggressiveness of the Houthis and the nature of the attacks against two commercial vessels. But if you've been tracking how such attacks have been evolving over the past months, you'd know there's… pic.twitter.com/4b8295chXl— Noam Raydan (@NoamRaydan) August 23, 2024
She added:
“Some keep asking why the Houthis are attacking those commercial vessels. The Yemeni group has an agenda, and they have divided their maritime campaign into five phases so far, and they’ve been following it. I summarize below the phases based on statements from the group, and a televised speech by their leader.”
To put it in perspective, Sounion is hauling 150,000 tons of crude—a little more than four times the amount spilled by the Exxon Valdez in 1989. This raises the alarming possibility of a major environmental disaster in the Red Sea, as Western militaries struggle to ensure freedom of navigation and maritime security in this critical maritime chokepoint.
]]>US Central Command described that at one point during the attack the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile directly against US Navy and commercial ships in the Gulf of Aden. “There were no injuries or damage reported by US, coalition, or commercial ships,” CENTCOM said.
Of the 90 total projectiles fired, the CENTCOM says its forces intercepted over 80 drones and at least six ballistic missiles total.
“Iran’s continued unprecedented, malign, and reckless behavior endangers regional stability and the safety of US and coalition forces,” CENTCOM said the the statement.
“CENTCOM remains postured to support Israel’s defense against these dangerous actions by Iran. We will continue to work with all our regional partners to increase regional security,” it added.
The Houthis are expected to launch another phase of intense attacks in the scenario that Israel hits back at Iran. On Monday Israel’s leadership in the war cabinet appears to have greenlighted such a retaliation attack.
On Monday it has also been coming to light to huge degree to which the US and Western allies were key in helping Israel repel the Iranian attack. According to The Wall Street Journal:
Saturday’s Iranian strike on Israel was huge by any standard. Tehran launched more than 170 explosive-laden drones, around 120 ballistic missiles and about 30 cruise missiles, according to Israel. The damage could have been catastrophic. As it turned out, almost all were intercepted.
That success was due to a combination of Israel’s sophisticated air-defense system and critical assistance provided by the U.S. and other Western and Arab partners. American, British and Jordanian warplanes played an especially important role in downing drones. Most of the Iranian drones and missiles were destroyed before they even reached Israeli airspace.
At this point the Middle East is bracing for a potential bigger Israel-Iran war which would likely spread to include Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Houthis in Yemen.
This is why the US and European leaders are busy urging restraint for Israel. A bigger war would also send the price of oil soaring, worsening Biden’s reelection chances.
]]>It is theoretically possible that they could back down, but I doubt it. All of the airstrikes that we have conducted so far against Iranian-backed terror groups in Iraq and Syria have not caused them to back down. And the airstrikes that we have hit the Houthis in Yemen with have not caused them to back down either. The truth is that the U.S. is already at war in the Middle East, and it appears that it could soon take an apocalyptic turn.
U.S. forces in the Middle East have been attacked time after time over the past couple of months, but Sunday’s attack was the first one that actually killed members of the U.S. military…
Three U.S. service members were killed and dozens may be wounded after an unmanned aerial drone attack on U.S. forces stationed in northeastern Jordan near the Syrian border, President Joe Biden and U.S. officials said on Sunday.
Biden blamed Iran-backed groups for the attack, the first deadly strike against U.S. forces since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October and sent shock waves throughout the Middle East.
It was just a matter of time before something like this happened.
Overall, U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria have been attacked more than 150 times since October 17th…
Iranian-backed militias have mounted more that 150 attacks since Oct. 17 on bases occupied by U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria, according to the Pentagon. The majority of the attacks have been with rockets and one-way attack drones, most of which have been intercepted.
When someone attacks your forces more than 150 times, you are at war with them.
Anyone that thinks otherwise is just being delusional.
In response to Sunday’s attack, Joe Biden told the world that “we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing”…
“While we are still gathering the facts of this attack, we know it was carried out by radical Iran-backed militant groups operating in Syria and Iraq,” Biden said in a statement.
“Have no doubt – we will hold all those responsible to account at a time and in a manner of our choosing,” he said.
Needless to say, this was not strong enough for many Republican hawks in Congress. Here are just a few of their quotes that have been compiled by Axios…
- Mitch McConnell: Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called for “serious, crippling costs” to Iran, “not only on front-line terrorist proxies, but on their Iranian sponsors who wear American blood as a badge of honor.”
- Lindsey Graham: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said in a statement the attacks the U.S. has carried out on Iranian proxies outside Iran “will not deter Iranian aggression,” calling to “strike targets of significance inside Iran.”
- Tom Cotton: “The only answer to these attacks must be devastating military retaliation against Iran’s terrorist forces, both in Iran and across the Middle East,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). “Anything less will confirm Joe Biden as a coward unworthy of being commander-in-chief.”
- John Cornyn: Sen. John Cornyn, in a post on the social media site X, said: “Target Tehran,” later specifying that he wants the U.S. to strike Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. and its Quds Force branch.
Okay, so let’s imagine that Biden does what they want.
Would the Iranians respond by launching missiles at U.S. targets in the region? And how would we respond if the Iranians made such a move?
When it comes to geopolitics, one must always be thinking several moves ahead.
Meanwhile, one of Israel’s most prominent politicians is warning that Iran has become a “legitimate target” for Israeli missiles…
Iran is now a “legitimate target” for Israeli missile strikes, one of the country’s most senior ministers has told the Telegraph, raising the prospect of an all-out war with Tehran.
In a wide-ranging interview, Nir Barkat, Israel’s economy minister, also said Palestinians from the West Bank would never be allowed to work in the country again and would be replaced by more than a quarter of a million imported foreign workers.
He also complained that the war in Gaza had not been fought aggressively enough.
Those that are urging military strikes against targets inside Iran are assuming that the Iranians only possess conventional weapons.
But what if this isn’t true? In fact, for a long time there have been many that have tried to warn us that this isn’t true.
The Iranians are not showing us all their cards, and they have been preparing for this showdown for decades.
Interestingly, the Iranians just launched three new satellites into space…
Iran says it has successfully launched three indigenous satellites into orbit using the Simorgh carrier rocket, marking the first time the country has simultaneously sent three satellites into space.
The satellites launched early on Sunday include Mahda, weighing 32 kg, and two nano-satellites, Keyhan 2 and Hatef 1, of less than 10 kg, sent to a minimum orbit of 450 kilometers (279 miles) and a maximum of 1,100 km (683.5 mi), state media reported, citing the public relations wing of the Defense Ministry.
The Simorgh satellite carrier that carried the three satellites to space has been developed by Iran’s Defense Ministry, the ministry statement noted.
It is believed that these satellites have been sent into orbit for the purpose of guiding ballistic missiles.
We are so close to the unthinkable. Once missiles start flying all over the region, the Middle East will never be the same again.
Meanwhile, the Chinese continue to probe Taiwan’s defenses…
Taiwan’s defense ministry announced on Saturday that over 30 Chinese warplanes were headed toward its country, in addition to navy ships.
Thirty-three aircraft were sent by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army from 6 a.m. Friday to 6 a.m. Saturday, officials said. The aircraft included SU-30 fighters.
An apocalyptic conflict in the Middle East would give China the perfect opportunity to try to “reunite” with Taiwan by force.
So let’s keep a close eye on the Chinese.
And let us not forget about the Russians. Over the weekend, they took even more territory from the Ukrainians.
This is a time of “wars and rumors of wars”, and those that are familiar with my work will not be surprised to hear that I believe that things will greatly escalate later this year.
We should hope for peace, but we should also prepare for war.
Because war is definitely coming, and it will shake billions out of their current state of complacency.
Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
]]>The Houthis, based in Yemen, purportedly sought to enlist support from their Islamist counterparts to bolster their activities in the Red Sea region, targeting perceived shared adversaries. Secret meetings between Houthi clerics and Al-Qaeda leaders reportedly occurred in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, as well as the Houthi stronghold of Hodeidah along the Red Sea.
These discussions unfolded amid accusations by Yemeni officials linking the Houthi group to recent assassinations in Aden, suggesting cooperation with al-Qaeda members.
For over two years, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, identified by the U.S. as the terror group’s most dangerous branch, has engaged in conflicts with government forces, leading to a resurgence of insurgency within Yemen.
The terror group, once led by Osama Bin Laden and notorious for the 9/11 attacks, appears to be leveraging the escalating crisis in Yemen and the broader Red Sea region to launch additional attacks.
The Houthis, controlling a significant portion of Yemen, have been implicated in indiscriminate maritime assaults on commercial vessels, including U.S. and U.K. Navy warships in the Red Sea. (Related: Houthis step up offensive operations with new drone attacks on U.S.-owned commercial ships.)
The rebels claim their actions are in retaliation for Israel’s offensive in Gaza against Hamas.
This has turned one of the world’s major shipping lanes, the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, into an active warzone, posing a threat to approximately 12 percent of global trade that typically transits through this critical waterway.
As geopolitical tensions escalate in the region, the reported collaboration between Houthi rebels and Al-Qaeda raises concerns about the potential for an intensification of hostilities and its broader implications for international security.
The strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, also known as the “Gate of Tears,” has become a focal point in the ongoing conflict, impacting global trade and maritime activities.
Al-Qaeda in Yemen gaining strength
The al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), has experienced a significant resurgence amid Yemen’s prolonged civil war.
The conflict, marked by regionalization and state collapse, has created favorable conditions for AQAP’s growth, allowing it to evolve from a small, primarily externally focused group to a potent insurgent force controlling territory.
AQAP has demonstrated pragmatism by adapting to local norms, forming alliances with Sunni groups and integrating into various militias. It has become embedded in the political economy of smuggling and trade, collaborating with factions across the conflict spectrum, including the Huthi/Saleh alliance.
The war’s complex dynamics have enabled AQAP to exploit security vacuums, benefit from shifting alliances, and engage in a war economy.
Addressing AQAP’s resurgence necessitates a multifaceted approach, according to the International Crisis Group.
Firstly, efforts should focus on securing an overarching political settlement to end the civil war, garnering support from diverse constituencies, including Sunni Islamists.
Simultaneously, immediate steps are required to contain AQAP’s growth. This involves enhancing governance in vulnerable areas, differentiating between Sunni Islamist groups, and using military measures judiciously in coordination with local authorities.
It is crucial to avoid military actions that disregard the local context and result in high civilian casualties, as seen in past incidents.
The international community, particularly states interested in countering AQAP, should adopt measures that consider Yemen’s intricate dynamics and refrain from actions that unintentionally aid the group.
In summary, the International Crisis Group said AQAP’s resurgence underscores the need for a comprehensive and nuanced approach, combining immediate containment measures with a long-term strategy focused on achieving a negotiated end to the civil war in Yemen.
Watch this report about the Houthis joining Iran in plotting revenge against Israel.
This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
- ESCALATION: U.S. strikes Iran-backed Houthi rebels after Iran hijacks oil tanker in Gulf of Oman.
- Houthi missile hits U.S.-owned cargo ship, says U.S. government.
- U.S., U.K. continue airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
Sources include:
]]>A senior Houthi official, Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, mentioned these US rivals by name in an interview with the Russian outlet Izvestia on Friday. “As for all other countries, including Russia and China, their shipping in the region is not threatened,” he said, stipulating this will remain as long as they are not linked to Israel or its supporters.
“Moreover, we are ready to ensure the safe passage of their ships in the Red Sea, because free navigation plays a significant role for our country,” he added, but then underscored that attacks on ships will continue if they are “in any way connected with Israel.”
The spokesman went on to blame the Red Sea crisis on Israel’s (and its backers) refusal to reverse course in Gaza, given its aerial and ground campaign as continued. “Ansar Allah [the group’s formal name] does not pursue the goal of capturing or sinking this or that sea vessel,” he claimed. “Our goal is to raise the economic costs for [Israel] in order to stop the carnage in Gaza.”
Some of the vessels which have come under attack thus far actually have connection to dozens of countries, but ships with Russian or Chinese ownership, or deep ties, have yet to be attacked.
Another Houthi official told Reuters separately that the group doesn’t seek to expand its campaign, after a fragile peace took effect with Saudi Arabia and the EUA concerning the Yemeni civil war:
Yemen’s Houthis have said they do not intend to expand their attacks on shipping in and around the Red Sea, beyond their stated aims of blockading Israel and retaliating against the US and Britain for airstrikes.
In an interview with Reuters, spokesperson Mohammed Abdulsalam, who is also the chief Houthi negotiator in peace talks over Yemen’s decade-old civil war, said the group had no plans to target its longstanding foes Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
“We do not want the escalation to expand. This is not our demand. We imposed rules of engagement in which not a single drop of blood was shed or major material losses,” said Abdulsalam. “It represented pressure on Israel only, it did not represent pressure on any country in the world.”
The US-UK coalition patrolling the Red Sea has at this point launched four rounds of airstrikes against Houthi positions, but this appears to have only deepened Houthi resolve.
As for Russia and China, they’ve been foremost among Washington’s powerful rivals to criticize Israel’s mass bombing of the Gaza Strip. They both have close ties with Iran, as well as with Assad’s Syria, and China is busy inking multi-billion dollar infrastructure and energy deals with Iraq. Of course, these ‘defiant’ countries are under US sanctions as well.
Meanwhile, cue “Putin is behind Red Sea attacks” narrative…
'No one is immune'
'Many geo-political experts are saying that Putin is behind all of this, with China and Iran'
Dr Roger Gewolb says that all countries would be affected by Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, and that Russia could be responsible for starting the attacks. pic.twitter.com/F8XGxrCW68
— GB News (@GBNEWS) January 13, 2024
In December, Russian President Vladimir Putin assured to the Palestinian Authority’s Mahmoud Abbas that “Russia will continue to supply the Gaza Strip with essential goods, including medicines and medical equipment.” But overall, Moscow has been relatively quiet when it comes to the Red Sea crisis, but has condemned the ‘escalation’ of US coalition ships launching missiles on Yemen. Moscow and Beijing remain fiercely critical of the soaring Palestinian civilian death toll, and tensions with Israel’s government have persisted.
]]>Most Americans don’t realize this, but this weekend Taiwan will hold an election which may determine whether the U.S. and China go to war.
In fact, China has literally framed this election as “a choice between war and peace”…
Across the Pacific, Taiwan will this weekend hold one of the most closely watched polls globally and its outcome could impact rocky U.S.-China ties and dictate geopolitical trends in 2024. China has called it a choice between war and peace.
On January 13, 19.54 million people—83 percent of Taiwan’s population—will be eligible to vote, including 1.03 million possible first-timers, according to the Central Election Commission in Taipei. At stake are the promise of myriad social reforms, the future of Taiwan’s economic and energy policies, and, as always, its relationship with neighboring China, balanced against its decades-long closeness with America.
We shall see what happens, but the candidate that has been leading in the polls is the candidate that China hates the most…
Taiwan presidential front-runner Lai Ching-te’s lead over his main opposition rival has narrowed significantly, setting the stage for a close race in the final weeks before the pivotal vote.
Lai’s ticket, representing the ruling party, leads with 37.3% of support followed by Hou Yu-ih’s of opposition Kuomintang (KMT) with 33.4%, according to a survey conducted between Dec. 19 and Dec. 21 by pollster My Formosa. Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People’s Party trails with 17.7%.
If Lai Ching-te wins, a Chinese invasion becomes very likely.
And the moment that China invades Taiwan, the U.S. and China will be at war.
Meanwhile, the war in the Middle East just got even more “interesting”. It is being reported that a “U.S.-led coalition” just struck more than a dozen targets in Yemen…
A U.S.-led coalition has attacked sites in Yemen associated with Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have been firing dozens of drones and missiles into Red Sea shipping lanes.
The U.S. strikes, a significant escalation of the U.S. involvement in Middle East fighting amid Israel’s war in Gaza, followed the 27th Houthi attack since late November earlier Thursday. The attacks deepen U.S. involvement in the region. In recent weeks, the Pentagon has attacked Iranian-backed militants in Iraq and Syria who have targeted U.S. troops there with rocket attacks.
“Today, at my direction, U.S. military forces — together with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands — successfully conducted strikes against a number of targets in Yemen used by Houthi rebels to endanger freedom of navigation in one of the world’s most vital waterways,” President Joe Biden said late Thursday.
In addition to being at war with Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and Syria, now we are essentially at war with the Houthis.
We are being told that the targets included “radar systems, drone storage and launch sites, ballistic missile storage and launch sites, and cruise missile storage and launch sites”…
The strikes were from fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles. More than a dozen Houthi targets were fired upon by missiles fired from air, surface, and sub platforms and were chosen for their ability to degrade the Houthis’ continued attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, a US official told CNN.
They included radar systems, drone storage and launch sites, ballistic missile storage and launch sites, and cruise missile storage and launch sites.
The strikes are a sign of the growing international alarm over the threat to one of the world’s most critical waterways. For weeks, the US had sought to avoid direct strikes on Yemen because of the risk of escalation in a region already simmering with tension, but the ongoing Houthi attacks on international shipping compelled the coalition to act.
Needless to say, this war in the Middle East is still only in the very early stages.
It is going to get so much worse.
The war in Ukraine is going to get a lot worse too, and in recent weeks Russian forces have been steadily gaining ground.
I feel so bad for those that have been forcibly conscripted to fight on the front lines. The Russians are constantly pummeling the front lines with all sorts of weaponry, and that includes massive glide bombs that possess enormous destructive power…
Ukrainian Army frontline personnel speaking to the New York Times have widely reported devastating damage from a new wave of Russian air strikes using glide bombs. Personnel told the American paper that while long having suffered from near constant artillery attacks, since the spring they had endured “the additional devastating power” of these glide bombs. They stressed that these bombs were obliterating their underground bunkers and carried up to 500kg of explosives each. One serviceman compared the impact of Russian glide bomb strikes to “hell’s gates,” stressing that the Russian Air Force “would send them two by two by two, eight in an hour… It sounds like a jet coming down on you.” The Russian Defence Ministry has reported the integration of gliding and correction modules onto FAB-500 500kg bombs against Ukrainian positions, with these having a range of approximately 70km depending on the altitude from which they are released. Such guided bombs can lay down fire at a small fraction of the cost of cruise or ballistic missiles, but still cost significantly more than unguided bombs.
Can you imagine sitting in a muddy trench hour after hour as tremendous explosions go off all around you?
The next round probably won’t have your number on it, but it might. Hundreds of thousands have already died, and many of them never even receive a proper burial.
As the Ukrainians lose ground, they will become increasingly desperate.
Some Ukrainian leaders have suggested using U.S.-supplied weapons to strike missile launch sites inside Russia, and Dmitry Medvedev is warning that such a move could provoke a nuclear response…
A senior ally of President Vladimir Putin warned on Thursday that any Ukrainian attacks on missile launch sites inside Russia with arms supplied by the United States and its allies would risk a nuclear response from Moscow.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said that some Ukrainian military commanders were considering hitting missile launch sites inside Russia with Western-supplied long-range missiles.
This war should have been ended a long time ago.
At some point someone is going to push things too far, and then there will be no going back.
In my new book I have a chapter entitled “The 3 Wars Of The Apocalypse”, and two of them have already begun.
A lot of people out there still have faith that our leaders know exactly what they are doing and that they will be able to keep World War III from erupting.
Unfortunately, the truth is that World War III is already here, and soon global events will spiral completely out of control.
Michael’s new book entitled “Chaos” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
]]>
(Daily Caller)—The U.S. and United Kingdom conducted retaliatory strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on Thursday evening Washington, D.C., time following a cascade of attacks on commercial shipping, the White House said.
The Houthis have launched at least 27 drone and missile attacks against commercial vessels transiting near the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, the U.S. military said Thursday, operations the group says come in opposition to Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. U.S. and U.K. military assets, with assistance from Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands, struck “a number of targets” in Yemen early morning Friday Sana’a time, the White House said, and is the first time the U.S. has conducted deliberate strikes against targets linked to the Houthis since the group began attacking international shipping in late 2023.
“These strikes are in direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks against international maritime vessels in the Red Sea—including the use of anti-ship ballistic missiles for the first time in history,” President Joe Biden said in the statement.
U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was preparing earlier to authorize strikes on the Houthis following a meeting with the National Security Council and briefings with Parliament, according to The Financial Times. The Pentagon had already drawn up potential targets, U.S. officials told the outlet.
The strikes involved fighter jets and ships and submarines firing Tomahawk missiles, CNN reported, citing U.S. and U.K. officials. The coalition targeted Houthis’ drone, ballistic and cruise missile, and coastal radar and air surveillance capabilities, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
“If necessary, we will take follow-on actions to protect U.S. forces,” Austin said.
Houthi forces had bunkered down forces and took steps to conceal sensitive assets in anticipation of strikes, U.S. officials said, The Wall Street Journal reported. Earlier on Thursday, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi threatened to retaliate if struck by the U.S., the BBC reported.
“Any American attack will not remain without a response. The response will be greater than the attack that was carried out with twenty drones and a number of missiles,” he said in a televised address, referring to a Wednesday attack local time that was the largest since the group began targeting commercial ships in October.
The U.K. operates a destroyer in the Red Sea and is participating in a U.S.-led coalition, Operation Prosperity Guardian, which is aimed at deterring strikes and reassuring international shipping of the vessels’ safety.
The Pentagon previously declined to comment on rumored plans of strikes on the Houthis earlier Thursday.
: Sailors from guided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG 87) participate in a vertical replenishment with @TheCVN69 while supporting Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea, Jan. 8. Led by @CMF_Bahrain's CTF 153, #OPG has more than 20 countries taking part. pic.twitter.com/m9AMaLsoWF
— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) January 11, 2024
After Wednesday’s missile and drone barrage, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reiterated a Jan. 3 warning from the U.S. and partners against the Houthis launching further attacks. Experts said the repeated threat signaled the Pentagon was rapidly losing patience with the Houthis’ insistence on continued attacks.
“I think that statement from multiple nations when it comes to the fact that there will be consequences – should the attacks not stop – speaks for itself. And I’ll just leave it at that,” Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a press briefing Thursday afternoon.
Major shipping companies continue to avoid Red Sea transit routes. The Houthis over the weekend appeared to target one of the U.S. guided-missile destroyers operating in the region as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian.
U.S. military assets in the Red Sea include 130 aircraft and the warships assigned to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, carrying about 4,000 sailors and Marines, White House National Security spokesperson John Kirby said at a Jan. 3 press briefing.
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]]>On Friday, shipping giants A.P. Møller – Mærsk A/S (Maersk) and Hapag-Lloyd stopped all container ship travel in the Red Sea. The following day, Italian-Swiss-based Mediterranean Shipping Company and French-based CMA CGM followed suit.
This means that four major shipping companies are now no longer doing business in the Red Sea, which plays a critical role in the global economy. The Red Sea’s connection to the Mediterranean Sea and the way it allows for easy vessel travel between Asia and Europe makes it one of the most heavily traveled waterways in the world.
Problems began when Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen started firing missiles and drone attacks at commercial vessels in the Red Sea in retaliation against Israel for its Gaza operation, as well as against the United States and other Western countries that back Israel.
There have now been four separate missile and drone attacks near the strategic Bab al-Mandab strait, which separates Yemen and Djibouti at the south end of the Red Sea next to the Gulf of Aden.
(Related: The world’s second-largest electronic components manufacturer has announced a 20-week delay for “engineered-to-order” [ETO] components in yet another global supply chain disruption.)
10 percent of global trade disrupted by Red Sea conflict
Roughly 10 percent of the world’s international trade occurs in the Red Sea. Each year, some $2.4 trillion worth of trade passes through its waters, which makes these vessel cancellations a major news item in terms of the global economy.
“We are deeply concerned about the highly escalated security situation in the southern Red Sea and Gulf of Aden,” reads a statement from Maersk. “The recent attacks on commercial vessels in the area are alarming and pose a significant threat to the safety and security of seafarers.”
Nils Haupt, a spokesman for Hapag-Lloyd, issued a statement of his own indicating that container ships are currently drifting outside the straight as they await further instructions. Some shipping companies have already completely rerouted their vessels around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the conflict area.
Also over the weekend, U.S. Central Command tweeted on X (formerly Twitter) that the Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS CARNEY shot down 14 Houthi drones in the Red Sea.
The Cape of Good Hope, by the way, is located at the very southern tip of South Africa. To reroute there instead of going through the Red Sea adds thousands of miles of extra travel for commercial vessels, which now have a lot further to go before reaching their destination.
Credit Suisse strategist Zoltan Pozsar warned earlier this year that the collapsing old world order would create conflict in international waters that will require intervention by militaries around the world. De-globalization seems to be the name of the game as nations of the world move back towards nationalism.
“I suspect the Iranians have armed the Houthis with some serious anti-ship missiles and there is a fear of embarrassment if a Navy ship is sunk,” one commenter wrote on a story about the Red Sea crisis. “The gayest Navy in the world.”
“The U.S. is itching to go at Iran,” suggested another. “No doubt the false flag will come soon enough, just as soon as Israel has mopped up the Gaza Strip. But ‘wars’ are not about winning; they are about killing our young and making the rich richer.”
Another noted that a lot of the commercial vessel traffic that goes through the Red Sea is bound for Europe, which is likely to see more supply chain problems emerge out of this.
Sources for this article include:
]]>If I were forced to guess, I would say the Israeli Deep State in conjunction with the American Deep State under the guidance of the Globalist Elite Cabal intend to use this war as either the start of WWIII or a launching point to draw support for the Multipolar World Order. Either way, it’s very bad for America, Israel, and the rest of the world. Here’s Snyder…
It is beginning to happen. We have been told that a worst case scenario for the war in the Middle East would be for Iranian proxies to join the war followed by Iran itself. That sort of escalation could lead to an apocalyptic conflict that spirals completely out of control, and so great efforts have been made to try to keep the rest of the “Axis of Resistance” on the sidelines. Unfortunately, those efforts appear to have failed, and that is really bad news.
On Tuesday, it was being reported that the IDF and Hamas were engaged in “fierce battles” deep inside Gaza…
Israel today said it has killed ‘dozens’ of Hamas terrorists during ‘fierce’ fighting ‘deep’ inside Gaza with video showing soldiers scouring the streets for the gunmen amid raging battles.
Israeli troops attacked Hamas positions within the terrorists’ vast tunnel network in a bid to free hostages trapped there – a key objective for Israel as it expands ground operations inside Gaza to wipe out Hamas following its gun rampage three weeks ago that killed over 1,400 people.
In the fifth day of major ground operations inside northern Gaza, the army said it had engaged in ‘fierce battles’ with Hamas terrorists, with footage showing columns of tanks and soldiers advancing further into the besieged enclave.
IDF forces have reached “the outskirts of Gaza City” and are steadily surrounding it on all sides.
But Israel is not in a rush.
The Israelis are going to take things one step at a time, because they want to minimize civilian casualties as well as their own losses…
The gradual progress of the present campaign is intended to avoid pitched fighting in built-up areas, while troops are wary of approaching the vast network of secret subterranean tunnels in which Hamas hides. The go-slow tactics may succeed in limiting Israeli military losses and potentially civilian deaths, yet risk prolonging a war.
I think that a methodical approach makes a lot of sense. Hamas has spent many years preparing their tunnels, and so it is wise to use caution.
As fighting rages in Gaza, Iran is warning that their proxies “won’t stay silent”…
Iran today boasted its powerful proxies ‘won’t stay silent’ and hinted the fighting between Israel and Hamas could engulf the Middle East after the Tehran-backed Huthi rebels fired drones into the Jewish state from Yemen.
The Huthis, who seized Yemen’s capital Sanaa in 2014 and control large swathes of the country, said they fired a series of drones towards the Red Sea city of Eilat this morning in retaliation to Israel’s war against Hamas.
Personally, I don’t think that the Houthis represent too much of a threat.
First of all, they have their own war to worry about. Secondly, any rockets that they can fire toward Israel shouldn’t be too much of a threat. Thirdly, they simply aren’t capable of transporting large numbers of troops to areas where they could engage Israel.
But even though they will not be a major player in this war, the Houthis have apparently decided to officially join it anyway…
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have entered the war with Israel after it launched drones and missiles at the south of the country earlier today.
The Houthis are part of Iran’s “Axis of Resistance” and have rallied behind Hamas since the October 7 attacks. They have been at war with Yemen’s internationally recognised government since 2014 and control the capital city of Sana’a.
Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the group launched a “large number” of missiles and drones toward Israel and that it would continue to attack “to help the Palestinians to victory”.
Meanwhile, Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria continue to attack U.S. troops. In fact, it is being reported that U.S. forces have now come under fire for the 25th time since October 7th…
U.S. forces deployed to the Middle East have been targeted for the 25th time since the Hamas attack on Israel October 7, amid fears of a widening conflict.
The attack came as two armed drones targeted the Ain al-Asad airbase in Iraq, which U.S. and international forces use in western Iraq to go after remnants of ISIS.
The American people might not realize it yet, but we are already at war in the Middle East.
Iranian proxies in Iraq and Syria are constantly targeting our troops, and they aren’t going to stop.
Of course when it comes to Iranian proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon is the big dog, and everyone is watching to see what they will do…
Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, has found itself in an awkward position since its ally Hamas launched a deadly, surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Now, after years of spoiling for a fight with Israel, Hezbollah is torn between maintaining its credibility as a defender of the Palestinians, and its hesitation to get involved in a full-scale war.
I’ll tell you the number one reason why Hezbollah is hesitating. They don’t want to get nuked.
If Hezbollah started firing thousands of missiles at Israel and attempted to launch a full-blown invasion from the north, there is a very good chance that the Israelis would use nuclear weapons.
But at some point the pressure to join the conflict will likely become just too great, and that will especially be true once it becomes clear that Hamas is on the verge of being wiped out…
A Lebanese official who speaks with Hezbollah said the militants have said their red line for intervention is the destruction of Hamas, and that they will enter the war if the group is on its last legs. But Israel’s stated goal is the destruction of Hamas.
Hezbollah is not going to just sit there and watch the IDF achieve total victory over Hamas. That just isn’t going to happen.
Of course Hezbollah has already been engaging the IDF on a regular basis along Israel’s northern border. In fact, Hezbollah is claiming that they just destroyed an Israeli tank…
Hezbollah has announced an Attack today on Israeli Forces along the Border with Southern Lebanon, which is claimed to have resulted in the Targeting and Destruction of a Merkava Mark lll or lV Main Battle Tank.
We are so close to a major regional war.
The worse that things get for Hamas, the more enraged the Iranians and their proxies will become.
By the time this thing is over, I believe that the entire world will be completely and utterly shocked by what happens.
Michael’s new book entitled “End Times” is now available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can check out his new Substack newsletter right here.
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