Experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation that continued attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis on ships in the Red Sea are a sign that the group is still achieving Tehran’s objectives. He said this was a contributing factor.
Iranian-backed militia attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria follow a massive February 2 airstrike on more than 85 targets in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for the deaths of three U.S. Army reservists. After that, it almost calmed down. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces are attacking more Houthi targets in Yemen, but Iranian-backed militants are attacking commercial ships and naval vessels, as the regime has so far refrained from attacking the actual roots of the Houthi attacks. Attacks on ships are not slowing down, experts said. he told DCNF.
“If I had to choose one, [the Iranians] They have a little more control over the Houthis than many assume, primarily because they have no other sources of weapons, materiel, training, equipment, or intelligence,” Heritage said. said Robert Greenway, director of the Allison Center for National Security. A former National Security Council official who directs the Foundation and Middle East policy spoke to DCNF. “So it’s very difficult for them to do what they’re doing now without coordination and control on the Iranian side and, above all, consent on the Iranian side.” (Related: German warship mistakenly targets US drone in Red Sea: Report)
In cooperation with the United Kingdom, American aircraft, warships, and submarines carried out four planned attacks in the Red Sea against Yemen’s Houthi missile launch pads, weapons depots, helicopters, and other targets. Shapiro said CENTCOM forces also carried out dozens of impromptu strikes against moving drone and missile targets ready for launch from Yemen.
Daniel Shapiro, the Pentagon’s top Middle East policy official, said the United States has struck a total of 230 targets in Yemen. SaidLawmakers who attended Tuesday’s hearing. This is in addition to the interceptions of dozens of missiles and drones that were taking to the skies to attack ships. But attacks continue as the government seeks to further avert conflict, experts said.
The Houthis operate more independently than other Iranian proxies and receive less direction from Iran than Hezbollah in Lebanon or various militias in Iraq and Syria. according to In the New York Times. But Iran nearly fully funds, trains and supplies the Houthis with weapons used to terrorize ships in the Red Sea, the Pentagon said. “They manage both locations the same way,” Greenway said.
Michael Pregent, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a former intelligence officer specializing in the Middle East, agreed: “If Iran tells them to stop, they will stop.” In fact, Iran now has more influence over the Houthis than when the attacks began in November.
Greenway explained that due to threats to global shipping and the United States’ inability or unwillingness to respond effectively, “Iran continues to conduct attacks to increase its influence over the United States.”
As of Feb. 27, the Houthis have carried out at least 48 attacks on commercial ships since Nov. 19, Shapiro said.
On Thursday, Houthi military leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi claimed in a televised address on Defense One that the Iranian-backed group had used 384 missiles and drones to attack at least 54 ships. . report. The attacks “will continue until the invasion of Gaza stops and the siege is lifted.” Our work continues and expands in the Red Sea. ”
The Pentagon is taking precautions, but no one was killed in either attack. emphasize Each puts the lives of sailors and seafarers at risk.
“We’re not looking for any kind of escalation. We’re not looking for a conflict with the Houthis,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a news conference Tuesday.
“These acts of attack that we have seen are essentially – you know, contrary to their stated objectives – the Houthis destroying their own neighborhoods in indiscriminate attacks. “There is,” he added.
In December, U.S. Navy helicopter gunners killed several Houthi militants and sank three boats in self-defense after rebels opened fire on troops coming to rescue a merchant ship.
On February 18, a Houthi missile attack fatally damaged the British-owned M/V Rubimaa, which was carrying fertilizer, and forced the crew to abandon the ship. according to Go to Centcom. The Rubimar continues to take in water and leak fuel into the Red Sea, posing an environmental hazard.
pentagon Admitted Since the Houthis were designated as a terrorist organization, Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea appear to have increased in frequency and intensity.
“We hold Iran responsible for attacks by its partners and proxies and that we believe Iranian leaders are aware of the consequences if these attacks cause U.S. casualties. I have communicated this clearly.”
Pregent said the administration could order legitimate attacks on two Iranian spy ships operating in the Red Sea and providing targeting information to the Houthis, the Beshad and the Saviz. .
“It would be a direct attack on Iranian naval vessels. That’s exactly what is needed to deter the Houthis,” he said.
Greenway said IRGC advisers on the ground in Yemen and Tehran-based General Abdul Reza Sharai, who oversees Houthi-related activities, could also be legitimate targets. Ta.
“Without him and the small group of troops on the ground training and coordinating their equipment, the Houthis would be far less effective and perhaps less capable of threatening U.S. and global shipping,” Greenway said. he said.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III speaks with coalition forces deployed in support of Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve during a visit to Erbil Air Base, Iraq, March 7, 2023. (U.S. Army photo) , Sergeant Tenzing Sherpa)
Iran has pressured its proxies in Iraq and Syria to halt attacks in response to the Feb. 2 retaliation, possibly for fear of starting an all-out war and dragging Iran into a broader conflict, the NYT said. Reported.
President Joe Biden said the Iraqi Islamic Resistance Forces, a loose confederation of Iranian-backed militias in the region that fired a suicide drone at Jordan’s Tower 22 outpost on January 28, has become more powerful. I promised that I would respond. A drone loaded with explosives crashed and exploded near a residential area where troops were believed to be sleeping, injuring dozens and killing three for the first time since attacks began in October. The Iranian government has since begun efforts to rein in the proxies, the NYT reported, citing officials.
“Since October 17th, the total number of attacks has remained at approximately 170, with the last one in Syria occurring on February 4th,” a defense official told DCNF on Tuesday.
Iran had released its proxies to protest U.S. support for Israel, which is at war with the terrorist group Hamas, but an escalation in militia attacks could draw Iran into an all-out war with the United States. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was growing concern that this could happen. Discuss intelligence activities.
Brigadier General Esmail Ghani heads the Quds Force, an elite branch of Iran’s militia responsible for coordinating with Tehran’s proxy network. He also played a role in shaping Iran’s response to Israel and the United States in connection with the Gaza war.
The NYT, citing two Iranians with the Revolutionary Guards, said that in January, Mr. Ghani met with strategists, senior militias and Revolutionary Guards leaders in Tehran and Baghdad to devise a plan to avert war with the United States. It was reported that multiple emergency meetings were planned.
According to the New York Times, he later met with representatives of Shi’ite Muslim leaders from the IRI network, who said that continued attacks would precipitate a war between the United States and Iran and serve their own ambitions to oust the United States from the region. He warned that there was a possibility of a violation. He made a second argument. Iran is already getting what it wants, ramping up pressure on Biden and exacerbating criticism of his support for Israel.
Persuading the militias to stop their attacks required the intervention of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, with whom the United States is negotiating a plan to adjust and possibly reduce the number of American troops in Iraq, the NYT reported. Ta.
“Iran already has everything it wants in Iraq and Syria. There’s no benefit to it. It comes with some risk,” Greenway told DCNF.
Iraqi insurgents have been asked to cease all attacks on U.S. forces, while Syrian insurgents have been persuaded to reduce the intensity of their attacks to avoid further deaths, Iranian officials say, according to the NYT. The report cited an assessment by the US intelligence agency.
A Pentagon official told the New York Times that the United States has halted plans to attack another militia leader in retaliation for the deaths of three Americans.
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