With just a few hours between one attack and another, the Houthi terrorist group claimed two new bombings against targets in the Red Sea, this Tuesday (6). Adding to other episodes that have occurred since the beginning of Israel's war against Hamas, the Yemeni militia has already orchestrated dozens of attacks targeting international vessels that sail through the region's maritime routes, such as those from the United Kingdom and the United States, listed among the largest armies of the world.
The recent attacks revealed the surprising military strength of the group based in the poorest country in the Middle East, Yemen. Strongly supported by Iran, the militias have a significant arsenal, including cruise missiles and drones, used to target commercial ships transiting the country's shores. Since the mobilization of the militants, the terrorists' attacks have become a headache for Western powers, who have reciprocated the bombings from a multinational maritime security coalition, created to protect ships in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
Since October, the Houthis have carried out a parallel conflict against Tel Aviv and its supporters, under the justification that they are contributing to the Palestinian people in Gaza, ignoring all warnings from the West about the consequences of these actions.
As a result, US and UK forces have already struck dozens of targets in what they said was an attempt to avoid further disruption to the shipping route vital to their economies. China has also called on Iranian representatives to curb attacks on ships in the Red Sea at the risk of damaging relations between Tehran and Beijing.
However, such mobilizations by countries that access the Middle East routes do not seem to have any effect on the escalation of the conflict initiated by the Yemeni group.
Currently, the Huthis control approximately one-third of Yemen's territory and more than two-thirds of the country's population. Since 2014, when they seized the capital Saana during the civil war, they have continuously developed their military capabilities, through the sponsorship of the Iranian regime, both in the acquisition of military equipment and in the training of affiliates. Other militias in the region, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, also contribute to the organization.
In addition to weapons and training, Iran also works to pass on information to militia members. According to a source revealed to the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, the Islamic regime has been collecting data and information about vessels sailing through the Red Sea and sending it to the Yemeni militia to organize and carry out their attacks. This information is being collected via an Iranian ship and serves to identify which Western vessels should be attacked in the region.
“The Houthis do not have the radar technology to target the ships,” a security official told the American newspaper anonymously. According to him, without Tehran's help, the missiles launched by the group “would simply fall into the sea”.
The group's weapons arsenal is basically made up of Iranian equipment or components that arrive in Yemen clandestinely. The Houthis have demonstrated significant military capabilities in recent years, particularly in the use of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and armed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Among the items that stand out is the Typhoon, a renamed version of the famous Iranian Qadr missile with a range of 1,600 to 1,900 kilometers.
While the Yemeni nation is mired in one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world, the Houthi militia continues with its ideology deeply rooted in anti-Semitic, Islamic fundamentalist and anti-American sentiment, as emblazoned in the slogan of its flag: “Allah is great, death to the USA, death for Israel, curse for the Jews, victory for Islam.”
This speech is one of the main reasons that guarantee the support of the Iranian regime and terrorist organizations present in the Middle East for the group's parallel war against Israel and its Western allies.
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