January 25, 2024 | The Jerusalem Post
Moscow seeks to exploit Houthi attacks
Moscow is seeking to piggyback on these attacks in order to exploit them. Houthis have concentrated their attacks on ships linked to the US, UK, and Israel. Russia benefits from this.
January 25, 2024 | The Jerusalem Post
Moscow seeks to exploit Houthi attacks
Moscow is seeking to piggyback on these attacks in order to exploit them. Houthis have concentrated their attacks on ships linked to the US, UK, and Israel. Russia benefits from this.
Russian state media on Wednesday highlighted Houthi attacks on the US, and it seems that Moscow is seeking to exploit the tensions in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have carried out attacks for months on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. In response, the US and its allies have carried out airstrikes on the Houthis. It now appears that Russia wants to exploit the Iranian-backed Houthi attacks.
Russian media highlights Houthi attacks
TASS media highlighted the Houthi attacks on Wednesday evening.
“Houthi rebels from Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement announced a military operation against US warships in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the movement’s military spokesman Yahya Saria said on Telegram,” TASS wrote.
“Today [on Wednesday], a clash with several destroyers and US warships, who tried to protect two US commercial vessels, occurred in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The result was a direct hit of a US warship.
“Houthi rebels from Yemen’s Ansar Allah movement announced a military operation against US warships in the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, the movement’s military spokesman Yahya Saria said on Telegram,” Russian News Agency TASS reported.
Moscow is clearly seeking to piggyback on these attacks to exploit them.
Reports have indicated that the Houthis have not attacked Russian and Chinese ships. However, the Houthis have concentrated their attacks on ships linked to the US, the UK, and Israel. Russia benefits from this.
The Houthis recent statement
The Houthis said in a statement: “Today [Wednesday], a conflict with a number of American destroyers and warships occurred in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab while these ships were protecting two American commercial ships, and the results of this conflict are as follows: a direct hit to the warship, forcing two American commercial ships to retreat and return… a number of our ballistic missiles reached their targets despite the warships’ attempts to intercept them. In this conflict, which lasted more than two hours, Yemeni armed forces used a number of ballistic missiles.”
The Houthis say they are supporting the Palestinians and Hamas.
“The armed forces of Yemen emphasize that by targeting all hostile American and British targets in the Red and Arabian seas, they will take all necessary military measures within the framework of the legitimate defense of our country,” the Houthis said.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency and Beirut-based Al Mayadeen news channel, which has ties to Hezbollah, also highlighted the Houthi attacks.
The reports clearly indicate the larger conjoining of interests among Iran, Russia, the Houthis, and other pro-Iranian groups in the region.
Seth Frantzman is the author of Drone Wars: Pioneers, Killing Machine, Artificial Intelligence and the Battle for the Future (Bombardier 2021) and an adjunct fellow at The Foundation for Defense of Democracies.