The threat of war in the Middle East is troubling world leaders, with Islamic extremist groups back at the top of international headlines backed by state-sponsored terrorism.
The Houthi terror group has long been a nuisance in the Red Sea as it has used increasingly sophisticated weapons systems to carry out attacks on warships and commercial vessels for nearly a decade.
Houthi-led attacks in the Red Sea have increased sharply following Hamas terrorists’ deadly attacks on Israel on October 7 and the subsequent war in Gaza, with the group vowing not to continue its attacks on Hamas and the Palestinians until Israel halts its attacks. Will stop moving.
However, these attacks are not only rooted in the Houthis’ opposition to the Gaza war, but also reveal the increasingly sophisticated geopolitical strategies of America’s main adversaries, Iran and Russia.
Houthi militants march during a rally in support of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and against U.S. attacks on Yemen on the outskirts of Sanaa, Monday, January 22, 2024. Hezbollah group, fighting Israel. (AP Photo)
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“The Houthis have become a major player in Iran’s strategy to tighten its grip around Israel,” Bill Roggio, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and founding editor of The Long War Journal, told Fox Digital News.
However, Houthi attacks in the Red Sea not only fit in with Iran’s strategy but also helped Russia in its fight against Ukraine, and by extension the United States and NATO.
Reports emerged earlier this month that Russia may be seeking to arm Houthi terrorists in the Red Sea in retaliation for America’s heavy support for Ukraine.
Although U.S. defense officials said they believed Moscow had not transferred any weapons to the terrorist group, the news came after Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met with Houthi spokesman Mohammed earlier this year. The news came after a meeting held by Abdul Salam.
The militant group is said to be trying to encourage Russia to pressure the United States and stop the war in Gaza.
Western defense officials have been sounding the alarm that Houthi attacks in the Red Sea not only threaten the lives of people in international waters but also lead to global food and trade shortages, further exacerbating global food insecurity, particularly in Africa. Originally initiated by Russia.
The British-registered cargo ship “Rubymar” was attacked by Yemeni Houthi armed forces while sailing in the Red Sea and sank on March 3. (Al-Joumhouriah channel via Getty Images)
Terrorist organizations continue to take aggressive actions at sea, and the US military destroys Houthi armed drones
“You can never look at these things in isolation,” Roggio said. “The Russians can take any measures to punish [the U.S.] – Military costs, economic costs, political costs. This complicates problems across the Middle East, thereby increasing the cost of U.S. support for Ukraine.
“The Russians will exploit any conflict that the United States is involved in,” he added. “We’re kind of back to a Cold War-type situation that’s filtering into areas where the United States has direct interests.”
Roggio explained that while it was “very likely” that Russia was communicating directly with the Houthis, he believed Moscow was more likely to work through Tehran.
“What the Iranians are doing is good for Iran,” he said. “It’s almost like Russia is outsourcing pain for the United States through Iran.”
Russia’s partnership with Iran first came to global attention when Tehran agreed to supply drones to Russian President Vladimir Putin just six months after the deadly war in Ukraine began.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow on December 7, 2023. (Sergey Bobilev/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Iran reportedly called in terrorist proxies to plan assassinations, and Israel was “fully prepared for defense”
Iran and Russia have since established a mutually beneficial partnership in response to Western sanctions imposed on both countries for different security reasons.
As Houthi attacks continue to increase in the Red Sea, it is becoming increasingly clear that Iran and Russia are using the militant group to pursue their geopolitical goals.
According to reports, from mid-October to July 2023, Houthi terrorists from Yemen launched nearly 290 attacks against merchant ships and warships in the Red Sea, as well as attacks against Israel. The U.S. Navy helped intercept these attacks at armed conflict sites and Event Data, a non-profit data collection organization.
Despite the increased U.S. presence in the Red Sea, U.S. Central Command chief Gen. Eric Kurilla reportedly told Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that U.S. military operations in the region are “failed,” Wall Street reports , and urged broader action in the magazine earlier this month.
On March 22, in Sanaa, Yemen, people raised rifles and shouted slogans to participate in a protest in support of the Palestinians and the Houthi armed forces in Yemen. (Mohammed Hammoud/Getty Images)
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“What we’re doing is basically targeting the weapons systems. We’re not trying to target the Houthi leadership, the military and political leadership,” Roggio said. “You really want to get to the root of the problem — the root of it all. It’s all Iranians behind it.”
“The Iranians don’t have to pay the price,” he added. “[They] Happy to let the Houthis fight to the death – it won’t really affect the Iranians.
