US officials have been quoted in the Wall Street Journal as saying they are considering direct US military involvement in the ongoing offensive against the north Yemen port of Houdeidah. The port is the lone source of humanitarian aid for Houthi-controlled northern Yemen, meaning it feeds millions of civilians.
Pro-Saudi forces, including the United Arab Emirates, have been pushing toward Hodeidah in an ongoing offensive, with the idea that the fall of the port would be a decisive loss for the Houthi rebels. Human rights groups have been complaining for weeks that the fall of the port would start an immediate famine.
While the US has at times been critical of the Saudi-led naval blockade compounding these shortages, they’ve also willingly participated in the blockade with ships at times. UAE officials seem to bet that selling the Houthis as “Iran-backed” will get them US troops as well.
Whether it will work or not remains to be seen, but the Trump Administration has often given lip-service to the Saudi narrative that the Shi’ite Houthis are an “Iranian proxy,” even though historically the Houthis have not had ties to Iran, and they follow a different version of Shi’a Islam.
What? Those Saudi poltroons aren’t up to the task to taking that port, so we have to do it ourselves?
You got it! This was always our war, war for control of both sides of Bab Al-Mandeb, the straights connecting Red Sea to Indian Ocean. Former Ssudi Crown Prince started it on our behalf. This Crown Prince not so much interested but cannot get out. UAE is our last true ally in the gulf, for as long as current ruller is in charge. But he id the last of the old American guard. We are giving them all they ask — Southern Yemen, and if they want Aden and even Hodeidah. This will not end well, as change in leadership there would have US out of control. A direct intervention? A neocon dream. US better take into consideration the mood of the region. If protests in Jordan continue, US may end up seeing the very last of its allies, and US only solid base of operation in the Middle East — gone.
The support for this heinous war is beyond reason.
So, the little or slow US war in Syria to move from Syria to N.Yemen, but still remain in Ukraine, Afghanistan, and elsewhere?
Of course, most American would not even notice let alone mind another tiny and slow war.
But when Russia waged a tiny war in Georgia, corporate media not only noticed it, but called an evil war.
WSJ – “WASHINGTON—The Trump administration is weighing an appeal from the United Arab Emirates for direct U.S. support to seize Yemen’s main port for humanitarian aid from Iranian-backed Houthi fighters, according to U.S. officials, a move they worry could have catastrophic effects on the country.”
What a breathless run-on sentence that is, which is parse-able in about 5 different ways. Are we trying to seize it to provide humanitarian aid, or to prevent it? Central of course is the Saudi talking-point that the Houthis have everything to do with evil Iran, evidence not needed nor asked for.
Anything for a paycheck. My government is pure corruption from top to bottom. And they call themselves Christian. The height of hypocrisy. Sad that by its actions I see the US crashing harder and harder.
So Eichmann wants to work the knobs at the gas chamber now? Apparently killing children isn’t enough to turn these creeps on. They need to smell the bodies too.
So, if the Houthis are NOT backed by Iran,
those missiles THEY shot at Riyadh
were built by,… the Houthis???
Now that’s funny.
And—-IF—- the Houthi version of Shia is different than Iran’s version,
it is STILL not —Sunni, and that’s all that matters.
Ditz is living up to his name.
The Saudis build what military hardware ? Do they even have combat troops, or just hired African mercenaries ? Lots of Nations sell missiles.
No the Saudis don’t build their military hardware,
and have not enabled one of their proxy’s to launch them at Tehran, … yet.
The difference.
So, Saudis buy missiles, launch them at Yemen….Houthis buy missiles and launch them at Saudis….what’s the difference again ? Well, besides numbers.
Nothing,
except the Houthis launched first, AT–the capital of Saud,
with Iranian missiles,
the blood enemy of the Sauds.
That will get you payback and heavy interest.
Don’t get me wrong, this IS what Muslims do, kill each other.
The US should stay out of it and let them exhaust each other.
“except the Houthis launched first”
No, the Houthis responded to a Saudi invasion aimed at putting a Saudi puppet whom they had overthrown back in power.
All true, however,
the Houthis (with Iranian backing)
transitioned the local “proxy” fight from the Yemen battlefield
onto Saudis home field (Riyadh),
the fight was no longer “local”.
When Iran’s long reach is attacking the Saudi’s homeland the blow-back increases dramatically.
It was a significant escalation, Iran knew it would be, but didn’t care.
There is no fixing it.
Islam commands domination,
just stand back and let them slug it out to exhaustion.
The only evidence these are Iranian missiles are statements from Bolton anti Iran carnival barkers. I can invent a more likely story. Raytheon sells the Houthis black market POS missiles they know the Patriot missiles can shoot down. Raytheon gets to sell replacements to the saudis. Just good buisness, and Iranians get the blame…bonus !
What makes you think that religious differences are the ultimate cause of these wars? Religion is ALWAYS used as an excuse for seeking oil, water, land and power, but it’s those things, not the religion, that are the underlying reasons.
I agree Tom, however in Islam the Sunni /Shia animus
is a convenient and immediate identifier
re. which team you are on.
The real motivator is dominance and power over everybody else.