LOS ANGELES.–Striking Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in the capital Sanaa, the U.S. and U.K. said they will not tolerate attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, all because Iran wants to dominate the Middle East. Yesterday’s strikes are the third time a joint U.S. and British strike force ht “36 Houthi targets across 13 locations,” serving notice to Iran’s 83-year-old Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that they hold him responsible for attacks by Iranian-backed militias. Iran’s Foreign Ministry says Iran has nothing to do with any group attacks on specific targets. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said the joint U.S. and U.K. strikes “are intended to further disrupt and degrade the capabilities of the Iranian-backed Houthi militia to conduct their reckless and destabilizing attacks,” said Austin, serving notice to Houthi rebels.
Houthis haven’t yet got the message that their attacks on international shipping jeopardize Sanaa’s 2.6 mllion population, including Yemen’s sacred mosques and Islamic architecture. “These attack will not deter us from our . . .stance in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip,” said Yahya Saree, head of the Houthi clan in control of Sanaa. Like Iran, Houthis are also Shiites, not recognized by the Grand Mufti of Mecca Abdulazis al-Sheik. So, when the Ayatollah says he backs the Palestinian cause, it become a rallying cry for Sunni Muslims around the Mideast. Yet, when Hamas leader in exile Ismail Haniyech met with Khamenei Nov. 5, 2023 to ask for help after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians, the Ayatollah said, “no.” Khamenei said he should have given advance warning of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack.
Khamenei learned well from his predecessor the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomenei, the leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, to stick with his message and repeat it often. Khomenei used Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels as his model, making up a story, picking a scapegoat like the Jews, and repeating his story. Khaemenei says his “axis of resistance,” supporting various Shiite rebel groups, to destroy the Jewish State, gives him cover for actually trying to dominate Sunni groups in the Middle East. If the Ayatollah really cared about Palestinians, he would have given sent Iran’s Revolutionary Guard troops to defend Hamas. Khaemenei rejected Haniyeh’s pleas for help in Gaza because he holds no real sympathy for Palestinians. Saree confirmed some 48 strikes from the U.S. and U.K., promising to continue his military operations in the Red Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman.
Residents in Sanaa, Yemen, have no clue why they’re under attack from U.S. and U.K. militaries. “We had hope that they would end, and now God knows how long,” said Hamed Ghaneml, a father of five in Sanaa. Yemen’s population has no clue that Houthis are a paid mercenary force by Iran’s Ayatollah Iran. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-Sen.) said today on “Fox News Sunday” that until-and-unless Biden hits an Iranian asset inside Iran he won’t stop sending cash-and-weapons to his pet “resistance” groups. Khamenei doesn’t listen to the “Great Satan” he considers a mortal enemy of Iran. After nearly 45 years of no diplomatic relations, he has no intention of resuming U.S. diplomacy. Austin said the Pentagon structk “locations associated with Houthis’ deeply buried weapons storage facilities, missile systems and launchers, air defense systems and radar.”
Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Counsel, called for an emergency meeting Feb. 5 “over the threat to peace and safety created by U.S. Strikes on Syria and Iraq,” raising the stakes on the world stage. Already at war in Ukraine with the U.S., Russia sees the U.S. as a mortal enemy, driving world powers closer to WW III. White House officials are in a pitched battle with Republicans in Congress to get Ukraine another $60 billion in funding to continue the Ukraine war against the Kremlin for the foreseeable future. Biden has no diplomatic relations with Russia, leaving it more difficult to process prisoner swaps for U.S. prisoners held in Russian penal colonies, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershokowitz. On a more global level, the U.S. no longer has any active disarmament talks with Russia, something abandoned because of the Ukraine War.
Whatever partnership Biden has with Great Britain in conducting joint attacks on Houthi rebels, the U.K. has no plans of escalating its obligations in Ukraine. “What they’re doing through their proxies is unacceptable,” said British Foreign Secretary David Cameron,” showing his allegiance to the U.S. mission. “You created them, you backed them, you financed them, you provided them with weapons and you will ultimately be held responsible for what they do,” Cameron said, more in line with Graham who insisted that Biden must strike key targets in Iran before the Ayatollah gets the message. Iran said yesterday that U.S. and U.K. attacks on Houthis “contradict” Biden’s statement that he didn’t want a “wider conflict.” Before the Middle East becomes a powder keg, Biden must figure out his objectives. Simply attacking Iran’s proxy groups doesn’t stop the Ayatollah.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
