The WW III “hot war” is continuing to escalate this week, as the regional conflict between Israel and Hezbollah (who some believe has 10x the military power that Hamas has) escalates, as does the Naval War in the Red Sea.
US Warship Directly Targeted In ‘Largest Ever’ Houthi Red Sea Missile Attack
The US Navy shot down nearly two dozen missiles and drones in a major new Red Sea incident, US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed. Given it included at least 21 Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen, it marks one of the single largest attacks to take place there since Oct. 7. The Associated Press dubbed it the “largest-ever barrage of drones and missiles targeting shipping in the Red Sea.”
An initial military statement had called the Tuesday 9:15pm (local) assault a “complex attack” conducted by the Iran-aligned militants, which occurred off the Yemeni port cities of Hodeida and Mokha. CENTCOM tallied that it involved 18 one-way attack drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and an anti-ship ballistic missile, according to the statement.
It generally targeted an area of the southern Red Sea where “dozens” of merchant vessels were traversing at the time. Some defense sources tallied that the total projectile count was 24. Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the opportunity Wednesday to once again charge that Iran is ‘aiding and abetting’ these Red Sea attacks.
It was a major and unusual engagement, even as these Houthi incidents have ramped up to lately become daily events, also because the US carrier and a fighter jet were engaged in repelling it.
But crucially, and buried in all the latest headlines, the Houthis have since confirmed that their missiles directly targeted American warships. The important assertion was picked up in The Associated Pressas follows:
The Houthis, a Shiite group that has held Yemen’s capital of Sanaa since 2014, later claimed responsibility for the attack in a televised statement by rebel spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree. Saree claimed the attack “targeted an American ship that was providing support to the Zionist entity,” without offering any further information. He also described it as an “initial response” to American troops sinking Houthi vessels and killing 10 rebel fighters last week.
The White House has for many weeks sought to downplay or even obscure the fact that the Houthis are directly targeting American military vessels. This as President Biden has waffled on requests from Pentagon leadership to hit back directly against Houthi launch positions. (Source.)
Iran Warns Against US ‘Adventurism’ After Parking Cruise Missile-Armed Warship In Red Sea
The Red Sea continues to grow busy with the presence of naval assets, as the West and its allies attempt to keep international shipping lanes open despite the threat of Houthi missiles and drones launched from Yemen. This has lately included nations such as Denmark, Pakistan and Sri Lanka sending military ships to regional waters as well.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken while meeting with Arab leaders over the weekend before he arrived in Israel Monday evening said, “These attacks are having a real effect on the prices that people have to pay for food, for medicine, for energy. Ships have to get diverted to other places. Insurance rates go up.”
Maritime and industry analyst Sam Chambers has observed, “Over the weekend, the number of transits through the Suez Canal fell to the lowest since the waterway was blocked by the Ever Given containership in early 2021, according to Inchcape Shipping Services.”
Iranian warship Alborz, file image, Fars News Agency/AP
But amid the heavy presence Western coalition military ships, there is now an Iranian frigate parked in the Red Sea after its arrival starting nearly a week ago. “2024 was only a few hours old when Iran dispatched a warship, the frigate Alborz, to the Red Sea,” FP recently noted. “Its arrival was yet more bad news for shipping, already facing a crisis from the Iran-backed Houthi attacks on merchant vessels.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry has issued a new statementwarning Israel and America against ‘adventurism’ which will expand war in the region:
“Iran issues a stern warning against any US adventurism that could endanger regional peace,” Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani said Tuesday in a letter directed to the US and its allies, a week after Iran’s Navy deployed a cruise missile-armed warship in the region.
American troops are also being attacked daily in other locations, especially in Iraq and Syria.
Iraq’s Prime Minister Says He Seeks a ‘Quick’ Exit of US Forces
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has reiterated his desire to end the presence of US and other international forces in Iraq and said he is looking to negotiate a “quick” exit, although so far no deadline has been set.
“There is a need to reorganize this relationship so that it is not a target or justification for any party, internal or foreign, to tamper with stability in Iraq and the region,” al-Sudani told Reuters on Tuesday.
US forces in Iraq and Syria have come under frequent rocket attacks since October due to President Biden’s support for Israel’s slaughter in Gaza. The US has launched several rounds of airstrikes in response, including a recent drone strike in Baghdad that killed an Iraqi militia leader. Al-Sudani strongly condemned the strike as a violation of sovereignty.
After the drone strike, al-Sudani said he was taking steps to expel the US-led coalition in Iraq that’s there nominally to fight ISIS. But the presence is more about the US’s efforts to counter Iran’s influence in the country, as al-Sudani has said Iraqi security forces can handle the last remnants of ISIS. (Source.)
However, as these news reports show growing military operations against the U.S. and Israel, something that is perhaps even more devastating to the U.S. was reported this week, and has mostly gone unnoticed by the U.S. Media, and that was an announcement published earlier this week in the Russian Press that the newly expanded BRICS alliance can now become a platform for a self-sufficient dollar-free grain market, and may even soon start their own Grain Exchange.
