Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Near East, South and Central Asia, and Counterterrorism, will hold a hearing Tuesday to discuss Houthi terrorist attacks on Red Sea ships. did.
Expert witnesses testified to the severe economic damage caused by Houthi piracy and the humanitarian risks posed by disruptions to food shipments.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) at the Capitol in Washington, May 25, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
in him Opening remarks,Murphy claimed The Red Sea crisis proved his belief that intervening in Yemen’s civil war was a “fatal mistake for the United States and its Arab partners.”
This was an interesting discussion since the Houthis have never cited their intervention as a reason for attacking civilian ships in the Red Sea. Because they have consistently and repeatedly stated that. said They are pressuring Israel and its allies on behalf of the Palestinians to halt Israeli operations against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Murphy has declared himself a fervent supporter of President Joe Biden’s Operation Prosperity Guardian, as Biden’s strategy in the Red Sea has proven to be completely ineffective in deterring terrorists or reducing their ability to attack. This is also an interesting position.
WATCH — Pentagon: Despite damaging ‘some’ of Houthi capabilities, ‘some’ of Houthi attacks are being defeated:
Houthis launched There were further attacks within hours of Murphy’s hearing.Yemeni television broadcast on Monday with glee. picture Of the British-owned MV ships most severely damaged by Houthi attacks. Rubimar Sunken off the coast of the Hanish Islands in the Red Sea. Shipping companies are desperately rerouting away from areas threatened by the Houthis at great expense, and those still brave enough to sail near Yemen are making last-ditch efforts to protect themselves. are doing. claim Their crews are Chinese, Syrian, or other nationalities favored by the Houthis. None of that expresses great confidence in Biden’s ability to protect freedom of navigation.
“Armed with advanced Iranian technology and in coordination with the Iranian military, the Houthis have launched a dazzling barrage of attacks, including missiles, underwater drones, and aerial drones, against ships navigating the Red Sea,” he said. ” he said.
Murphy noted that Yemen itself is a major humanitarian crisis zone, and is at even greater risk from Houthi attacks on ships carrying aid.Houthis attacked US-owned ship called MV champion of the sea On February 19th, the ship was delivering humanitarian aid to Yemen.
Murphy called for more aggressive action against the Houthis, but argued that Congress should be allowed to fulfill its constitutional obligation to “authorize acts of war.”
A screen capture taken from the video shows the Galaxy Leader, a cargo ship co-owned by an Israeli company, being hijacked by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red Sea on November 20, 2023. (Houthi Media Center/Handout/Anadolu, via Getty Images)
“If you believe that this is a just military action, and I believe it is, then you should approve it. “We also need to recognize that there are real risks.”
The Senate committee heard testimony Timothy A. Lenderking, the U.S. special envoy to Yemen, said that not only are the Houthis causing further hardship for the long-suffering Yemeni people, but their actions “endanger the real gains of multilateral diplomacy over the past three years.” “I’m exposing it,” he said.
“Despite the Houthis’ illegal and reckless maritime attacks, the April 2022 ceasefire between the parties to Yemen’s conflict continues to hold. Violence in Yemen remains at its lowest level since 2015. “Yemen’s humanitarian crisis, while still acute, is not as bad as it was at its peak. By the time the Houthis intensified, average Yemenis had begun to seek a path to stability.”
Lenderking accused the Houthis of “abandoning this progress to align with Iran and serve their own selfish political ends at the expense of the Yemeni people.” He also pointed to the environmental impact of launching missiles and suicide drones at “oil tankers and other vessels carrying hazardous materials.”
Houthi fighters and tribesmen rally against US and British attacks at a Houthi-run military facility near Sanaa, Yemen, January 14, 2024. (AP photo)
The US envoy said Iranian support for Houthi terrorism, including arms shipments and support from Iranian and Lebanese Hezbollah operatives, “must stop,” but gave no clear suggestions on how to stop it. Part of his testimony emphasized the risk of escalating the conflict by going beyond the pinprick attacks on missile launch sites and ammunition dumpers that the Biden administration has previously authorized.
Lenderking did not mention President Biden’s inexplicable determination, but touted the administration’s February 16 designation of the Houthis as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist Group.” remove As soon as he took office, the designation of the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization became more effective.
Lenderking simply reiterated the administration’s argument that applying a stronger designation to the Houthis would make it difficult to deliver humanitarian aid to sick and starving Yemenis — but. As both he and Murphy acknowledged, the Houthis already They bombed a ship full of food bound for Yemen.
WATCH — US military hits Houthi targets in Red Sea defense show:
Lenderking concluded by almost imploring the Houthis to stop their attacks.
Diplomatic outlets to end these Houthi attacks, even as we degrade and disrupt their capabilities, strain their terror funding, and embarrass them on the world stage. must also be explored. Let me be clear: We are not seeking this confrontation, but we will respond to any Houthi attack. We are working through multiple channels to make clear to the Houthis that peace remains a possibility if they cease their attacks immediately. But each time a missile is fired, we risk an even bigger catastrophe that could doom any prospects for an agreement.
Lenderking insisted that the Biden administration was “not seeking an escalation or escalation of the conflict in the region,” but then said the Houthis “seem determined to continue their reckless behavior for the foreseeable future.” He admitted that he was literally ceding control to Iranian-backed terrorists.
Dan Shapiro, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel appointed The deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East told the committee in December that despite their stated intentions, the Houthi attacks had “almost nothing to do with Israel or Israeli-related shipping,” even if that were the case. Even if it didn’t, the attack “will have an impact,” he said. It’s completely illegal anyway. ”
“These attacks have caused more than a dozen major shipping companies to suspend Red Sea navigation, caused soaring insurance premiums for ships in the region, and most importantly, cost the lives of innocent sailors and military personnel. “You’re in danger,” he said.
Shapiro said Houthi piracy has caused food and medicine prices to soar and “delayed the delivery of critical humanitarian supplies” to nearly every crisis zone in the world. He also pointed out that the incalculable financial damage Egypt has suffered from the loss of $100 million a month in Suez Canal revenue is a major blow to Egypt’s unstable economy.
This photo provided by the Indian Navy on January 27, 2024 shows a view of the oil tanker Merlin Luanda on fire after being attacked in the Gulf of Aden. The crew of a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker attacked by a missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels are battling a fire aboard the ship caused by the attack. (Indian Navy, via AP)
Mr. Shapiro provided further details on the environmental damage referred to by Mr. Lenderking:
Most recently, the Houthis launched a series of ASBM and UAS attacks against merchant vessels in the Red Sea, including one that affected an M/V. islanders February 22nd and MV Rubimar February 18th.
Houthi attack islanders A crew member was injured in the attack. Rubimar It caused significant damage to the ship, putting it at risk of sinking, forcing the crew to abandon ship, and causing an 18-mile oil slick.
The Houthis also fired weapons at our warships, including ASCMs fired by the USS. Laboon It was intercepted.
An ASBM is an anti-ship ballistic missile, and a UAS is an unmanned aerial system, a bomb-laden drone that the Houthis often use to attack ships. USS Laboon Arleigh Burke-class missile destroyer. intercepted Numerous Houthi weapons, including missiles, have targeted the destroyer itself since the Red Sea crisis began.
The ASCM is an anti-ship cruise missile and is one of the more advanced weapons Iran has provided to the Houthis. American air strikes are Destroyd Several mobile ASCM launchers in Yemen. On January 11th, the U.S. Navy confiscated The weapons shipped from Iran to Yemen included both intermediate-range ballistic missiles and ASCMs. Two Navy SEALs tragically lost their lives during the operation.
A ship transits through the Suez Canal towards the Red Sea on January 10, 2024 in Ismailia, Egypt. (Sayed Hassan/Getty Images)
Shapiro said the administration’s strategy is to “internationalize” the Houthi attacks by demonstrating that their terrorism affects many countries beyond the United States, Britain, and Israel. Stated. Unfortunately, the facts are clear – the Egyptians are certainly aware that $100 million a month in revenue from the Suez Canal is disappearing from their national treasury – but most regional powers and many world governments… It has no intention of actively engaging in the fight against Houthi piracy. To thwart terrorism that purports to benefit the Palestinian cause or because of concerns about escalating the conflict.
Mr. Shapiro said that U.S. and allied forces have demonstrated an impressive ability to intercept Houthi drones and missiles, and that they currently have “more than 230 targets in Houthi-held Yemen, through both deliberate and self-defense attacks. “We are attacking the target.” He said the attacks likely destroyed “hundreds of Houthi weapons,” in addition to Iranian cargo intercepted at sea, as well as missiles and drones blown out of the sky by allied warships and planes. He said the plane was also destroyed.
Still, the Houthis continue to attack. On the same day as the Senate hearing, Houthi spokesman Mohamed Abdulsalam said: Said Nothing can stop the attacks other than putting pressure on Israel to withdraw from the war with Hamas.
Abdulsalam vowed that “all operations in support of the Palestinian people will not cease unless Israel’s attack on and siege of Gaza ceases.”
Shortly after the Houthis issued this statement, new missile attacks were reported on a Greek-owned bulk carrier sailing northwest of the Yemeni port city of Hodeidah. Houthi-affiliated media reported that U.S. and British forces responded with airstrikes near Hodeidah in retaliation.
