Yemen: US Launches Fresh Missiles on Houthi Target

Facts

• The US on Saturday launched fresh air strikes against a Houthi radar site in Yemen 'to degrade the Houthi's ability to attack maritime vessels.'¹
• Described by the US as 'follow-on action,' the strikes were carried out by the Navy destroyer USS Carney and come a day after US and UK forces reportedly hit 60 targets across 28 sites in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.²
• The military action comes in response to ongoing attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea by the alleged Iran-backed group, which launched its largest-ever strike of that kind on Tuesday.³
• US Pres. Biden referred to the Houthi attacks on maritime interests in the Red Sea as 'unprecedented' and affirmed further action would be taken as needed.⁴
• Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, the Houthis' leader, announced that the group would confront any 'American aggression,' continue to attack Israel-linked ships, and allow safe passage to other nations' vessels passing through the Red Sea and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait.⁵
• Meanwhile, Iran condemned the attacks as a 'blatant violation of Yemen's sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as a violation of international laws and regulations.'⁶

Sources: ¹The Guardian (a), ²Independent, ³Associated Press, ⁴Al Jazeera, ⁵The Guardian (b) and ⁶Financial Times.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by The Telegraph. The strikes targeting the Iranian-backed Houthis have come after diplomatic efforts by the US and its allies failed to deter the rebels from further operations against international commercial shipping and US and UK warships. The decisive action against the militants proves that the West stands united in defense of international law and free trade. Since military power seems to be the only language the Houthis and Iran understand, the rules-based international order must not shy away from taking further action if necessary.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by PressTV. With the US-British aggression against Yemen, the West's moral bankruptcy in defense of its so-called 'rules-based order' is now on full display. While Washington supports Israel's genocidal Gaza campaign, it's now bombing Yemen for the Houthis daring to stand up for Palestinians by targeting Israeli-linked ships. As so often, the latest US aggression is a recipe for more, not less, violence and instability. The West has deliberately expanded the Israel-Hamas war to distract from Israeli war crimes and will suffer the consequences of its heavy-handed actions.

Predictions