According to information released by the U.S. Central Command, Yemen's Houthi rebels fired 18 suicide drones and three anti-ship missiles into the Red Sea region of southern Yemen on Tuesday night, and the attack occurred near the Yemeni port cities of Hodeidah and Moka. The target was merchant ships sailing in the Red Sea, not the combined fleet formed by the United States.
After monitoring the Houthi attack, the USS Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Graveley (DDG 107), USS Raboon, USS Mason, and USS Diamond combined with a joint attack by U.S. Navy F/A-18 carrier-based aircraft to shoot down 18 OWA drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile.
The Houthi attack on a merchant ship in the Red Sea at this time coincided with a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel, apparently to the Americans, because the Israeli bombardment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip has made tensions throughout the Middle East. The Houthis have earlier said that they will attack Israeli-linked merchant ships in order to get Israel to stop its military operations against Hamas.
U.S. Central Command said it was the 26th attack by the Houthis on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. Why do the Houthis dare to launch a military operation in the Red Sea region in the face of the US aircraft carrier fleet?
First, the Houthis are backed by Iran, and Hamas in the Gaza Strip has very close relations with Iran. At a time when Hamas is on the losing hand, failure to put more pressure and trouble on Israel and the West means the complete defeat of Iran's power. Therefore, the current Houthis do not know whether the United States will bomb Yemen itself, and will also attack the Red Sea region and Israeli-related merchant ships. This is a contest, although the United States is strong, but the Houthis are not intimidated.
As for whether the United States will bomb Yemeni itself, for the time being, the conditions are permitted, but not sufficient. Although the United States has a huge military presence in the region, neither Egypt nor Saudi Arabia has participated in the so-called US escort operations. Many of the countries that are now responding to the United States are outside the region, and even Singapore and Sri Lanka have expressed their intention to join.
Second, if the United States conducts direct military action against the Houthis, what benefits will the United States gain? If the United States launches a military operation against the Houthis because of the Houthi blockade of the Red Sea, the Houthis will only intensify the restrictions on navigation in the Red Sea.
Eliminating the Houthis is even more impossible, after all, Yemen's civil war has been fought for so many years. With the support of Iran, the Houthis also have a lot of military industrial bases, and they have much more weapons and equipment than Hamas. Moreover, the spillover of war is inevitable, the United States does not have the ability to blockade the Houthis, and Saudi Arabia does not have the ability to do so. When the time comes, the entire Middle East will be in a mess, and it will not be good for the United States.
Third, the Biden administration has consistently emphasized the need to avoid escalating Israel's war with Hamas into a broader regional conflict, and Iran is naturally well aware of the U.S. Middle East strategy. Now, though, there is a clear military justification for the US attack on targets in Yemen. It's just that if the United States uses force against the Houthis now, it will bring obvious political risks, after all, now for the Arab world, the United States and the European Union are actually on the side of Israel, the fact is that Israel's bombing has caused many Palestinian casualties, and the Houthis control of the Red Sea is aimed at making Israel ceasefire, which makes the Western world very cautious.
It has to be said that the Houthis have found a reason for their military actions that will be difficult for the United States to overthrow. According to the logic of the Houthis, if the Houthis no longer attack merchant ships, they only need to let Israel cease fire. So, the Houthis are not afraid of the United States now.
So, will the United States certainly not use force?
Although the United States will not be able to gain any benefits from bombing the Houthis, the United States will not hesitate to bomb the Houthis if its actions cause serious damage to the strategic interests of the United States. After all, Saudi Arabia also does not support the Houthis and has been bombing the Houthis for a long time. It's just that now Saudi Arabia is hindered by Israel's attack on Gaza, and it is impossible for Saudi Arabia to stand with the United States. But if the Houthis' actions put both Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the side of the United States, it would be difficult to say.
Will the United States launch a large-scale military operation in the Middle East in the future?
This is likely to be higher and higher, given the rise of Iran's power combined with the lukewarm relationship with Saudi Arabia. As a result, the influence of the United States in Middle East affairs has been declining in recent years, and in the European direction, in order to confront Russia, the process of de-dollarization has been accelerated.
Although the United States has reinvigorated its position in the Western world after Trump, it is in a decline in global standing. Against this backdrop, the only way for the United States to increase its international influence is through war. The United States cannot sit idly by and watch the global de-dollarization, let alone let the Middle Eastern countries drift away from itself. Therefore, the United States does not rule out fighting a relatively large-scale war in the Middle East in the future.
After Biden took office, has the U.S. foreign strategy succeeded or failed?
First, after Biden took office, his first goal was to suppress Russia, which was on the rise of global power. Because Russia's influence in the Middle East has risen sharply through the Syrian civil war, it is natural for Middle Eastern countries that have suffered from the United States for a long time to use Russian power and American power to hedge.
As a result, the United States instigated the outbreak of war between Ukraine and Russia, and the United States, together with NATO, provided huge assistance to Ukraine, allowing Russia to be dragged on the battlefield in Ukraine for two years. In the European direction, the United States has succeeded in blocking relations between Russia and the European Union, and Russia's future development has suffered a serious setback.
Second, just when the United States wanted to continue to make a difference in the Asian direction, it did not expect to underestimate Russia. The whole West has suffered a great backlash in order to confront Russia, especially at the level of energy prices, agricultural production, and food demand. And the outbreak of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict disrupted the US plan. Not only is it difficult for the United States to continue to provide aid to Ukraine, but it is also feeling unprecedented pressure to support Israel. The deterioration of relations with the Arab world, as well as the limited gains in the European direction, led to a decline in the international influence of the United States.
Third, Biden has brought his egoism into full play since taking office, and if Trump is just asking for money from his allies, Biden is simply asking for the lives of his allies. Because of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the EU economy is in a mess, not only the geopolitical threat has increased, but the economic development framework has also been broken up, and the European industrial cycle strategy cannot be implemented without Russia, and the EU is still secretly giving money to the United States.
I have to say that Biden wanted to use typical events to promote Western unity and continue to harvest the world, but he never thought that because of the rise of Western power, the West's advantage is no longer overwhelming.