By Al-Fassel | 2024-01-12

The Iranian regime's long-time support for the Houthis in Yemen has come into focus after the US and its allies conducted joint strikes on the group Friday (January 12).

US forces, in coordination with the United Kingdom and with support from Australia, Canada, the Netherlands and Bahrain, around 2.30am local time targeted radar systems, air defense systems and storage and launch sites for attack drones and for cruise missiles and ballistic missiles, US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

The strikes were designed to degrade the capability of the Iran-backed group to continue its "illegal and reckless attacks on US and international vessels and commercial shipping in the Red Sea," it said in a statement.

"We hold the Houthi militants and their destabilizing Iranian sponsors responsible for the illegal, indiscriminate and reckless attacks on international shipping that have impacted 55 nations so far," CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla said.

These have endangered the lives of hundreds of mariners, he said, adding that "their illegal and dangerous actions will not be tolerated, and they will be held accountable."

The Houthis, who receive extensive support from Iran, have attempted to attack and harass 27 ships in international shipping lanes since mid-October.

"These illegal incidents include attacks that have employed anti-ship ballistic missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden," CENTCOM said.

US President Joe Biden said he ordered the strikes, calling them a "defensive action" and saying he "will not hesitate" to order further military action if needed.

"Despite the repeated warnings from the international community, the Houthis have continued to carry out attacks in the Red Sea," UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said in a statement.

"We have therefore taken limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence, alongside the United States... to degrade Houthi military capabilities and protect global shipping," he said.

A joint statement by the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, New Zealand and South Korea said the "aim remains to de-escalate tensions and restore stability in the Red Sea."

"But let our message be clear: we will not hesitate to defend lives and protect the free flow of commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways in the face of continued threats," it said.

Houthi links to Iran

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday blamed Iran for the surge in Houthi attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea, saying the group would not be able to threaten a key global shipping route if not for Tehran's support.

"These attacks have been aided and abetted by Iran with technology equipment, intelligence information, and they are having a real-life impact on people," Blinken said.

On Thursday, the Houthis fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into international shipping lanes in the Gulf of Aden, which missed its target.

US and British naval forces on Tuesday shot down 21 drones and missiles launched by the Houthis, repelling the largest Houthi attack to date on Red Sea shipping.

The attacks have wreaked havoc on the global economy, forcing some of the world's largest shipping companies to suspend transit through the Red Sea, and take a much longer route around Africa.

The longer route and higher insurance fees are "translated into higher prices for people for everything from fuel, to medicine, to food," Blinken said.

Years of evidence and statements from Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officials prove that the Houthis' ability to attack vessels in the Red Sea stems almost exclusively from Iranian support.

In an April 2021 interview with Russia Today, senior IRGC official Gen. Rustam Qasemi confirmed that "all of the weapons that the [Houthis] possess is thanks to our aid."

Iranian advisors have trained the Houthis to manufacture weapons including missiles and drones, he said.

Logistics and operational support

Iran has continued to smuggle weapons to the Houthis in violation of an arms embargo, and recently announced it is expanding the IRGC maritime forces and creating a paramilitary "Oceanic Force."

It aims to ensure the Houthis remain a force in the southern Arabian Peninsula that is capable of threatening trade corridors and blocking Bab al-Mandeb, Abaad Center for Strategic Studies director Abdul Salam Mohammed told Al-Fassel.

He noted that the Houthis have developed new weapon technology and have strengthened their naval power, with a fleet that includes drone boats, some of which the group has rigged with explosives to use in its attacks.

Iran has "never stopped supplying the Houthis with weapons, whether they are ballistic missiles, drones or naval vessels," Yemeni Deputy Minister of Justice Faisal al-Majeedi told Al-Fassel.

Iran provides real-time intelligence and weaponry, including drones and missiles, to the Houthis, who then use them to target ships passing through the Red Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported December 22.

Tracking information gathered by the Behshad, a Red Sea surveillance vessel controlled by the IRGC, is given to the Houthis, who have used it to attack commercial vessels, a retired Yemeni military officer told Al-Fassel.

Behshad also smuggles Iranian arms and transports IRGC trainers to support the Houthis in areas of Yemen under the militia's control, he said.

Attacks add to Yemen's woes

The Houthis' aggression in the Red Sea has worsened Yemen's already dire living conditions, as deteriorating security conditions have created an obstacle for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

The Houthis' ongoing attacks also have jeopardized an already fragile peace process to end the nine-year war in Yemen.

The Houthi "military actions hinder progress towards a peaceful resolution," said Mohammed Albasha, a senior Middle East analyst for the Navanti Group.

"The Houthis have transitioned... to becoming aggressors targeting civilian assets," he told AFP.

In a December 27 statement on X, the Yemeni government warned of the risks and domestic ramifications from Houthi drone and missile attacks.

The Houthis's actions "will lead to an increase in food prices in a country suffering from a humanitarian crisis," Information Minister Moammar al-Eryani said.

The United Nations (UN) estimated that by the start of 2022, the conflict in Yemen had caused over 377,000 deaths, 60% of them as a result of hunger, lack of health care and drinking of unsafe water.

It added that more than 11,000 children are known to have been killed or wounded as a direct result of the fighting.

The UN also estimates that 80% of the population is in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.