The Iran-backed Houthis first began to attack commercial and military shipping in the Red Sea back in October, launching drones in the hope and expectation that ships headed to and from Israel would be discouraged from risking that route. And indeed, many ships, including those that had nothing to do with Israel, have been struck in the Red Sea by Houthi drones and missiles. Now those mariners who would in the past sail up the Red Sea and through the Suez Canal to Europe, choose instead to double the Cape of Good Hope, and follow the west coast of Africa, up to the UK or through the Straits of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean. This rerouting has harmed Israel’s trade with Asia, but just as important, it has greatly increased the cost of transport of goods from Asia to Europe for everyone. And those Houthi attacks have harmed Arab countries as well: Egypt has lost considerable revenue that it formerly earned from those using the Suez Canal, and Jordan has been prevented from receiving goods at, or shipping goods from, its only port at Aqaba. The response of the Americans and British has been largely defensive — their warships in the Red Sea have shot down hundreds of drones launched by the Houthis both at their warships, and at commercial vessels. They have also conducted airstrikes on Houthi military installations in Yemen. But the Houthis have not been discouraged; they continue their attacks, and it now seems that they possess hypersonic missiles, which it claims it has manufactured itself. It is much more likely that Iran has been supplying these missiles to the Houthis, even as Tehran feigns having had nothing to do with what the Houthis claim is their technological achievement. Hypersonic missiles travel many times the speed of sound, and that makes them almost impossible to intercept in time. More on the Houthis, their latest weapon, and some thoughts on what must be done to end the Houthi threat can be found here: “Yemen’s Houthis obtain hypersonic missile, upgrade weapons arsenal – report,” by Danielle Greyman-Kennard, Jerusalem Post, March 15, 2024:
Citing an unnamed Houthi official, the terrorist group told RIA [a Russian state-owned news agency- that they had tested a hypersonic missile “with high lethality” and are planning to add it to their arsenal.
“The group’s missile forces have successfully tested a missile that is capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 8,” the official said, adding that the weapon runs on solid fuel; Yemen intends to begin manufacturing it for use during attacks in Krasnoye [Red Sea]. Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel.”…
While the Houthis claim that their first hypersonic missile was manufactured by them, it is also possible that Iran furnished them with the first prototype, supplied the expertise of its weapons scientists to the Houthis, and now the Houthis are ready and able to make these advanced missiles on their own. Primitive in everything else, the Houthis are surprisingly advanced in weaponry. Their civilizational horizon extends no farther than endless war-making.
Last week, Houthi leader Abdel Malik al-Houthi reportedly said, “Our enemies, friends, and our people will see a level of achievement of strategic importance that will put our country in the ranks of few countries in its capabilities in this world,” according to RIA.
There is no art, no literature, no music, no philosophy, no science or technology except that having to do with weaponry, nothing of lasting value in their wretched country, but the Houthis don’t need any of that. They can build missiles to blow up other people and their ships sky-high. As far as they are concerned, this represents a “level of achievement of strategic importance that will put our country in the ranks of few countries in its capabilities in this world.” What a wretched existence.
Al-Houthi went on to threaten that the group would extend their attacks to ships heading toward the Cape of Good Hope in Africa’s southern tip, according to the Associated Press. This would indicate the Houthis are eyeing a greater range of attacks, as the group has focused on ships traveling into the Red Sea.
If they are now making plans to attack ships as they sail down to the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa because those ships cannot use the Red Sea route to Europe, this means the Houthis have not been deterred at all by the American response so far — those airstrikes, supposedly “massive,” haven’t stopped or slowed down their attacks on shipping. And now that they have their hypersonic missiles, they feel that they can take on all comers.
The Houthis, whose official slogan translates to “God Is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam,” claimed to have begun their maritime attacks in response to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza….
What an inspiring slogan the Houthis have taken from their Iranian friends: “God is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam.” Nothing could be clearer: this is the pure essence of Islamic imperialism. The Houthis — backed to the hilt by the mad mullahs in Iran — intend to fight the Infidels in any way they can, until Islam everywhere dominates, and Muslims rule, everywhere.
What more does the Western world need to know? The airstrikes inYemen have not been nearly enough to put the Houthis out of commission. They are openly boasting of their new targets — ships headed down to the Cape of Good Hope, and of their wunderbar new weaponry — those hypersonic missiles. setting new targets, boasting of new weaponry. The only way to deal with the Houthis, those implacable jihadists, is to destroy every last one of their weapons storehouses, and their manufacturing plants that produce everything from rifles and grenades to – as of now — hypersonic missiles, and the barracks full of their combatants. The Bidenites need to do to the Houthis what Israel is doing to Hamas: destroy the group’s ability to reconstitute itself as a fighting force. Instead of an airstrike every week or two, there ought to be wave upon wave of airstrikes, round the clock, every day, all over the Houthi-occupied parts of Yemen, for at least a month. And the proof of that campaign’s success will be obvious: instead of more boasting about all the damage they can do, there will be absolute and stunned silence from the Houthis, that is, those who are still alive, after the American airstrikes have wiped out at least 80% of their fighters. And those American pilots should flatten every building in the Houthis’ territory. That will put paid to the Houthis’ dreams of glory. Then commercial shipping will return to the Red Sea, that vital waterway which had been used by 15% of the world’s shipping before the Houthis began their attacks. That will earn the Americans the gratitude of all those who rely on the Red Sea to move their cargoes. No more half-measures, please. Just bombs away. À la guerre comme à la guerre.
Frank Anderson says
Piracy is an international crime. Until recently punishing that crime did not require “due process”. Pirates could be shot on sight. Now that “we” are civilized and let those who wish to see our society destroyed make the rules, pirates are allowed to attack with impunity except for modestly effective efforts to stop their cheap drones with expensive missiles. It is time to send traitors where they belong.
Westman says
This attack on shipping isn’t just “Hamas support”, it is a testing of Houthi ability to control and carry on with future piracy.
If the Houthi threat isn’t addressed, it will continue as the new piracy conducted with greater ability than the Somali pirates, long after this war is over.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
At this point, I’d condemn every “human rights” advocate who condemned Saudi Arabia for its incessant bombing of Yemen when they used to do it. Be it Rand Paul, Tucker Carlson, Tulsi Gabbard, anybody! From what they are doing, the Houthis are clearly not a lot persecuted by those evil sunni Arabs
Barbara says
Time for our satellites to position over Iran and locate where these missiles are firing from. Where are these missiles coming from and stop the transport.
Frank Anderson says
Destroying a production line or facility without destroying the will and ability to produce the weapons is a waste of good firepower. Look at the effort to stop production with far less effort to change the minds of Germany and Japan in WWII.
bill says
Take this with a very large pinch of salt. Houthis can fire missiles which Iran gives them but inventing ‘hypersonic’ missiles themselves. I seriously doubt it.
OLD GUY says
Yes there is a CORPORATION somewhere that is producing these weapons or parts for profit and selling them to Iran and these so called pirates/terrorist. There is also a shipping company that is transporting these missiles/drones and parts to them, how appoint exposing them and charging them with conspiracy and aiding the enemy.