USA toughens tone towards Iran after Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea
According to US intelligence published by the White House, Tehran has provided the Houthis with drones and missiles as well as tactical intelligence. According to the White House, visual analysis revealed an almost identical match between Iranian drones and missiles and those launched by the Houthis. In addition, the Houthis rely on the maritime surveillance systems provided by Iran.
In addition, the tactical information provided by Iran was "critical" to the Huthi attacks on merchant ships that began in November, Watson said.
Since the beginning of the war between Israel and the radical Islamic Palestinian organization Hamas, the Iran-affiliated Huthi have repeatedly fired drones and missiles at Israel and most recently attacked ships in the Red Sea on several occasions. According to the US Department of Defense, the Houthi rebels launched more than 100 attacks with drones and missiles on a total of ten merchant ships.
The Red Sea and the Suez Canal are central trade routes for global trade, with around 20,000 ships passing through the Suez Canal every year. Yemen is located on the Bab-al-Mandeb strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
The wave of Houthi attacks on container ships has caused many freighters to avoid sailing through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea. Several shipping companies have announced in the past few days that they are suspending voyages through the strait.
In order to protect commercial shipping, the USA announced the formation of an international military coalition at the beginning of the week, which 20 countries have now joined. Washington has also increased its military presence in the Gulf of Aden with the aircraft carrier "USS Dwight D. Eisenhower". According to several media reports, President Joe Biden's government is considering military strikes if the attacks on the ships continue. Militia leader Abdel-Malek al-Huthi threatened on Wednesday to retaliate against US attacks.
It is not yet clear to what extent the Houthis are acting on behalf of Tehran. Of all the pro-Iranian groups in the region, including Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis have "the weakest connection" to Tehran, according to diplomatic circles.
According to expert Michael Knights from the Institute for Middle East Policy in Washington, the Houthis share the "paranoid" mindset of the religious leadership in Iran. According to this, the USA should view the Houthis as a kind of North Korea, "an isolated, aggressive, well-armed actor that is hostile to the United States and in a geographically important position", he explained in a recently published research report.
Read also:
- This will change in December
- Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route
- Houthi rebels want to launch further attacks despite international coalition
- USA forms military coalition against Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea
Source: www.stern.de
