FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
The conflict in Yemen has taken on a new dimension, where the Houthis are now clashing with international parties: the US and Britain...
With the Houthi-US conflict on the verge of breaking out, the first point to note is that the war in Yemen is in its ninth year. Although the description of a "civil war" applies, the conflict has in fact always been regional, given that many countries in the region are supporting one of the warring parties.
Iran is providing financial and military support to the Houthis, while the Saudi-led coalition has backed the internationally recognized government, with years of US military and logistical support.
The protracted nature and complexity of the conflict has hampered diplomatic efforts to broker a lasting ceasefire and find a political solution. This has turned Yemen into a failed state and created a humanitarian disaster, one of the worst in the world.
Yemen's war erupted in 2014 when the Houthis were ousted from their stronghold in northern Yemen and captured the capital, Sanaa, in 2014, launching a fierce war.
A Saudi-led coalition intervened in 2015 to try to restore Yemen's internationally recognized government-in-exile to power. In recent years, the conflict has turned into a stalemate between Iran and Saudi Arabia, only worsening the humanitarian toll.
The US and UK airstrikes that began last week have come in response to an increasing number of Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, which have disrupted global trade and supply chains.
They disturb and degrade
" This action is intended to disrupt and degrade the Houthis' capabilities to endanger mariners and threaten global commerce in one of the world's most critical waterways ," US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said in a statement after the January 12 attacks. " Today's coalition action sends a clear message to the Houthis that they will face further costs if they do not end their illegal attacks ," he added.
Ali al-Dhahab, a military and strategic expert, argued that Western influence in the region and the West's efforts to maintain it have been a factor in the rapidly escalating developments in the region. The West, he said, is working to counter efforts by other nations — namely Iran and China — to take advantage of the chaos in the region.
After the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, the Houthis announced their support for the Palestinian group and launched dozens of attacks on ships in the Red Sea. They even seized a ship.
Axis of Resistance
The Yemeni group said it targets ships bound for Israel as a sign of its support for the Palestinian people. They said they would target any ship going to Israeli ports, as Israel continues to block the entry of humanitarian aid and medicine to the people of Gaza. They also launch ballistic missiles and drones into Israel, including long-range missiles at Israel.
The Iran-backed group, which seized Yemen's capital Sanaa in 2014, sees itself as part of the "Axis of Resistance", which includes other Iran-backed groups in the region, including the Assad regime in Syria , Hezbollah in Lebanon and other militant groups in Syria and Iraq.
The Houthis have staged weekly pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Sanaa and other areas they control in Yemen since the start of the war between Hamas and Israel.
Preventive message
The war was sparked by a Hamas attack on October 7 in southern Israel. The attack prompted Israel to launch a ground campaign in Gaza, wreaking unprecedented destruction on the tiny coastal enclave and triggering a humanitarian catastrophe. At least 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack, while over 24,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began.
Majed al-Madhaji, a Yemeni writer and scholar, said that Yemen's conflict has taken on a new dimension, with the Houthis now clashing with international parties: the US and Britain.
The US-led strikes were limited and a "preventive message" from the US that they "can reach and target all possible locations across Yemen," al-Madhaji said. "The message is: We can also undermine Houthi military capabilities, and this is a form of tough diplomacy."
Religion and nationalism
But the Houthis vowed to respond to US and UK strikes - and they did. On Monday, Houthi forces successfully shot down a US-owned ship. Although US Central Command said there were no reports of injuries or significant damage, it was still another bold attack.
The Houthi slogan, "God is Great, Death to America, Death to Israel, Curse the Jews and Victory to Islam," sums up their anti-Western sentiments and what the rebel group says is a desire for a fairer political system.
The Houthis have regularly used religious and national sentiments to win and mobilize public support for their cause. And now, more than ever, the Palestinian cause – which occupies a significant position in the Arab and Islamic world – is at the center of the Houthi narrative. / Adapted "Pamphlet" from "World Crunch"
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