Yemen: US Launches Additional Strikes Against Houthis

Facts

• The US military launched new attacks on Sunday against the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen, which claims to be attacking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians over the Gaza conflict. Washington also warned of further attacks targeting Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.¹
• The US Central Command claimed the 'self-defense' strikes hit four anti-ship missiles allegedly being prepared to be fired against ships in the Red Sea, adding they posed an 'imminent threat' to US naval vessels and commercial ships in the region.²
• This comes a day after joint US-UK strikes targeted 36 Houthi sites across 13 locations in Yemen. Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has warned that the strikes will continue until the Houthis stop their 'illegal attacks' on commercial and military vessels in the Red Sea.³
• However, Mohammed Al-Bukhaiti of the Houthi political bureau has said that the Houthis 'will meet escalation with escalation' and that the group's operations will continue until Israel ends its Gaza military campaign.⁴
• This comes as, on Friday, the US struck 85 targets linked to facilities and weapons of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its proxies in Iraq and Syria in response to the killing of three US service members at a Jordanian military outpost.⁵
• Though US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan — who previously didn't rule out direct strikes inside Iran — insists Washington seeks to avoid regional tensions from escalating into a wider war, Iran argues that US-led attacks contradict its stated desire.⁶

Sources: ¹BBC News, ²Voice of America, ³Associated Press, ⁴Washington Post, ⁵CNN and ⁶Middle East Eye.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by CNN. The Houthis use the Gaza war as a pretext to justify their Red Sea aggression. Their anti-American and anti-Israeli stance serves the purpose of increasing their regional popularity and consolidating their domestic authority. The US and its allies' retaliatory strikes are a powerful means of deterring the Houthis and other Iranian proxies. Indeed, Washington's firm stance prompted Iran's proxy militia in Iraq to announce a halt to its operations against US targets following the attack that killed three US service members.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by PressTV. Framed as retaliation for the deaths of three service members, the US and its proxies are stepping up their indiscriminate attacks against regional resistance groups such as the Houthis, who are allied with Iran but not under Tehran's command. The Houthis are conducting their operations in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, while the US is deliberately escalating tensions instead of asking Israel to announce an immediate ceasefire. The illegal and mindless US attacks will only accelerate the end of US regional hegemony.