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The Houthis are fighting in support of Gaza, by attacking Israeli owned and flagged ships that use the Red Sea to navigate toward the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea, bringing ships directly alongside the Yemeni coast.
The Saudi-Yemeni war began in March 2016, and the US participated in support of Saudi Arabia, as one of the wealthiest countries on earth bombed and attacked one of the poorest countries on earth.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is refusing to participate in the US coalition to fight Yemen, because of the new foreign policy of the Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, and improved relations with Iran. The Crown Prince, known as MBS, has been involved in a long war with Yemen, and he does not want to invigorate a war he is in the process of closing down. MBS is focused on building Saudi Arabia into an international tourist destination and attracting investments which will diversify the Kingdom away from fossil fuels as the sole source of income.
Vision 2030 is the brainchild of MBS, and it depends on regional peace for development and prosperity. This formed the basis for the Chinese brokered deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia which saw the two neighbors normalize their relations.
All occupation attempts of Yemen have failed through history. Yemen is extremely mountainous, and their resistant fighters are known to be fearless and often fight almost barefooted in harsh conditions without backing down.
If the US continues with this coalition against Yemen, all the US interests, which are some of the largest US military bases, and the US shipping industry, will be threatened.
In my opinion, if this US coalition against Yemen heats up, the Iraqi resistance will interfere powerfully by targeting all US interests, including occupation forces in Syria and bases in Iraq. There have been numerous and ongoing attacks on the US occupation forces in the east of Syria, and the Ain al-Assad base in Iraq.
The Houthis are a fighting force who are well trained, ideologically motivated, and supported by Iran. The Houthis have an arsenal of weaponry which includes powerful and sophisticated missiles which are capable of long distances. They have used these missiles to target the south of Israel. They have used earth to sea missiles to attack ships, and have boarded and occupied a ship which they continue to hold.
Suicide drones have also been used by the Houthis to target Israel in response to the Israeli attack on the Palestinian people of Gaza, which has seen the death toll pass 20,000 people, the majority of which are women and children.
The Houthis are one group of numerous resistant fighters. Resistance groups are located in Palestine, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Yemen.
These groups are primarily fighting against the continued Israeli occupation of Palestine, Syria and Lebanon. Israel has been labeled an Apartheid state by the UN, and human rights organizations, including the UN, have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza currently, since the October 7 attack by Hamas in which about 1,400 Israelis were killed, and almost 200 were taken as hostages to Gaza.
For the last 75 days, the Red Sea shipping lane near Yemen has seen disruption, as ships going to Israel are prevented from unimpeded navigation. The Israeli port of Eilat has become empty because of the Yemeni actions.
The US administration of President Joe Biden has been pressing Israel for a pause for humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as negotiations on a hostage release. However, the Netanyahu led war cabinet has moved forward with an increasingly furious bombardment of Gaza driving the death, injuries and destruction upward daily. The Israelis see their main goal to destroy Hamas and its leadership as overarching any plan to secure the safe release of Israeli hostages.
Yemen is one of the poorest countries on earth, and during these long years of the Saudi war on Yemen, in which the US participated heavily, the civilians have suffered death, injuries, epidemics, and starvation. Even as their own situation is dire, the Yemeni people have stood firm in their commitment to the solidarity and support of the Palestinian people, in the face of the genocide unfolding in Gaza.
The international community, including the majority of nations at the UN, has called for a ceasefire in Gaza. However, the US continues to use their veto to stop the resolution from passage. This reluctance to stop the genocide is due to AIPAC, the powerful Israel lobby in the US. US officials, including the 2024 campaign of Biden for re-election, are held hostage to the demands of AIPAC.
Until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, the Red Sea shipping lane is in jeopardy, as well as the entire Middle East region, which could erupt into a regional war at any moment, depending on the actions of the US and their ally Israel.
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This article was originally published on Mideast Discourse.
Steven Sahiounie is a two-time award-winning journalist. He is a regular contributor to Global Research.
Featured image is from MD
