The ability of Iran's Houthi terrorist proxies to threaten commercial shipping has been “hit” following massive attacks by the US and UK on 60 targets in Yemen by warships, aircraft and submarines, the Defense Ministry said.
The US and UK will face “consequences” overnight into Friday morning in what they described as a “massive retaliatory strike” against Houthi targets in Yemen if attacks on global trade in the Red Sea continue. I followed that warning for many days.
Since November, Iran-backed Shiite Houthi militias have joined forces with Hamas' attacks on Israel, attacking civilian commercial vessels carrying cargo containers, cars, oil and other global trade through the strategically important Red Sea. . According to the US, they launched 27 separate attacks, some of which hit their targets.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Said The attacks targeted “radar systems, air defense systems, unidirectional attack unmanned aircraft systems, and storage and launch sites for cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.” The Associated Press, citing unnamed defense sources, said that 60 targets in 16 locations were hit.
At 2:30 a.m. (Sanaa time) on January 11, U.S. Central Command, in coordination with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, and Bahrain, launched an attack on the Houthis to reduce their ability to sustain attacks. Conducted joint attacks against targets. they are illegal… pic.twitter.com/bR8biMolSx
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 12, 2024
four @Royal Air Force Typhoon, along with US forces, carried out precision attacks on two Houthi military targets.
The threat to innocent lives and global trade has grown so great that this action was not only necessary, but also our duty to protect shipping and freedom of navigation. pic.twitter.com/tbN7ncJYpF
— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) January 12, 2024
The attack was carried out by a combination of warships, aircraft, and submarines. U.S. surface ships and submarines, including the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, fired Tomahawk cruise missiles and F/A-18E Super Hornets from the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. Royal Navy (RN) warships in the region lack major land attack capabilities as they are equipped.for, but not togetherRather than land-attack cruise missiles, Britain's contribution was ground-launched jet aircraft from the Royal Air Force (RAF).
British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in a statement Friday morning that four Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft took off from a British sovereign base in Cyprus and “joined US forces in precision strikes on two Houthi military targets.” . Attacking targets in Yemen from the eastern Mediterranean would be a considerable distance and would require complex operations such as aerial refueling and overflights of third countries. The British Prime Minister's telephone conversation with the Egyptian Prime Minister on Thursday may have been intended to facilitate negotiations.
British Typhoon fighter jets, supported by a Royal Air Force Voyager refueling tanker, dropped Paveway IV laser-guided bombs on the target. The UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) said in a statement about the target: “One was a base in Bani, northwestern Yemen, which was used for reconnaissance and launching unmanned attack aircraft. A number of buildings involved in drone operations were targeted by our aircraft.
“Another location that our aircraft attacked was the Abbas airfield. Intelligence indicates that it was used for launching both cruise missiles and drones over the Red Sea. Several at the airfield High-value targets were identified and indicted by our aircraft.”
Akrotiri, Cyprus – 12 January: In this handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, Royal Air Force Akrotiri, Akrotiri, Cyprus, on 12 January 2024, after completing an attack mission against Houthi rebels in Yemen. A Royal Air Force Typhoon aircraft is shown returning to its berth. (Photo credit: MoD Crown Copyright via Getty Images)
Akrotiri, Cyprus – 11 January: This handout image provided by the UK Ministry of Defence, shows the United Kingdom as it joins the US-led coalition conducting airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen in Akrotiri on 11 January 2024. An RAF Voyager aircraft takes off from RAF Akrotiri. , Cyprus. (Photo credit: MoD Crown Copyright via Getty Images)
Regarding the outcome of the night's attack by the US and UK, the Ministry of Defense said: “While the detailed results of the attack are being assessed, early signs indicate that the Houthis' ability to threaten commercial shipping has been hit.” Stated.
The airstrikes came hours after the US and UK warned there would be “consequences” if Houthi rebels continued to try to attack merchant ships, with Britain's defense minister saying observers were He said the situation should be “monitored.” In response to this morning's retaliation, President Biden said in a statement that the Houthis are “jeopardizing freedom of navigation in one of the world's most important waterways…These attacks are threatening U.S. military, civilian sailors, and our partners. “It puts them at risk, endangers trade and threatens freedom of navigation.”
“Last week, along with 13 of our allies and partners, we issued a clear warning that if the attacks did not stop, the Houthi rebels would bear the consequences,” he reiterated. President Biden said the airstrikes came after a “massive diplomatic campaign” and that “the United States and our partners have never tolerated attacks on our personnel or that our adversaries are among the most important forces in the world.” “It sends a clear message that we will not tolerate jeopardizing freedom of navigation in one of our most important oceans.” commercial route.”
The president said he would authorize further strikes “if necessary.”
Houthis launch largest-ever attack on Red Sea shipping; US and Royal Navy defend https://t.co/N77EKPvFE6
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) January 10, 2024
One of the clear messages coming through U.S. and British communications about the airstrike was that both countries ordered more than just bilateral support and called for a broader coalition against the Iranian-backed Houthis. Centcom said the attack received unspecified support from “Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain,” and President Biden announced that “more than 20 countries worked to protect international shipping and thwart Houthi attacks in the Red Sea.” Union,” he said.
Perhaps sensing something was afoot, Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi preempted the attack in a statement Thursday, promising his own revenge. He is reported to have said: “Any U.S. attack cannot go unresponsive. The response will be greater than the attack carried out with 20 drones and numerous missiles…We will target ships with ties to Israel. We're more determined and we're not going to back down from that.”
Another Houthi leader, Abdulsalam Jahaf, supported this, writing: “We will confront America, we will kneel down, and we will burn down its battleships and all its bases and all those who cooperate with it, no matter what the cost…We will trample America underfoot.” ”.
The airstrikes followed months of attacks on merchant trade that used to sail through the Red Sea, much of which has now been redirected, at great expense, near the Horn of Africa. The Red Sea is extremely important to world trade, especially to Western countries. That's because the Suez Canal would save us a lot of time and money on imports from factories in China and the East, and energy from oil fields in the Middle East. to Europe and the East Coast of America.
Hapag-Lloyd container ship burns in Red Sea after missile attack in Yemen https://t.co/wbtk8VWq5b
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 15, 2023
With the Red Sea effectively closed to traffic, even the most optimistic shipping company, Maersk, admits it is a problem expected to last for months. Shipping costs and insurance for giant container ships that can carry $1 billion worth of goods per year. Voyage has increased dramatically. As reported, these cost increases, which are passed on to import-dependent Western consumers, pose a significant risk of undermining government efforts to stem the effects of inflation.
As stated:
Bank of England Deputy Governor Sarah Breeden warned that rising transport prices could dash the hopes of many Western governments to rein in inflation. She said: “Supply constraints are very important to monetary policy…We have developed a toolkit to track supply constraints as an input into what's going on. [in global trade]. Considering what happened in the Red Sea, we can incorporate that into our expectations. Although the situation is nascent, we have highlighted the upside risks to inflation from developments in the Middle East and incorporated them into our updated forecasts. ”
This attack is a clear failure of very basic defensive principles. you want peace, that the military power of the West, especially the United States, should be overwhelming and that actual military operations should be unnecessary. Nevertheless, today's counterattack is a return to the core principles of the founding of the U.S. Navy; Protecting American trade interests abroad from acts of Islamic piracy.
For Western countries dependent on imports, costs will rise as long as the Houthis continue to close the Red Sea. https://t.co/jaKab0GdSJ
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 21, 2023
