All roads lead to Iran, as it’s proxy groups in the middle east directly attack western interests, providing a thin veil for deniability by Iran, but not a believable one.
Overnight Houthi rebels were targeted by U.S. and UK air strikes in Yemen, with support from the Netherlands, Australia, Canada and Bahrain in an attempt to disrupt attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
The Houthi’s have expressed solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza strip, vowing to rid the middle east of Israel and America.
The Houthi’s repeated attempts to highjack and or sink ships transiting the Red Sea have alarmed many and led to an international naval coalition to guard cargo ships.
Houthi strikes have forced shipping companies to redirect many vessels around South Africa’s Cape of Good Hope to reach the Mediterranean and Europe, rather than travelling through the Suez Canal. 50 countries have been effected by this.
Iran has backed the Houthi’s against Saudi interests in Yemen, including boasts by the IRGC in the past on the ability to order the Houthi’s to hit Saudi oil tankers.
And cruise missiles which in the past have been fired into Saudi Arabia, came from Iran to Yemen.
Will these strikes on 16 locations in Yemen accomplish anything?-
Major Gen Patrick Ryder of the Pentagon said today “no wants to see a wider regional conflict, but no one can accept illegal attacks” on international shipping.
Ryder said the air strikes will disrupt and degrade the Houthi’s ability to conduct strikes in the future.
The ‘H Club’ as I call it, includes not only Hamas sponsored by Iran, and the Houthi’s, but also Hezbollah in Lebanon. The Hezbollah which are a non-state actor, answer directly to Tehran and have been supplied monstrous missile stocks from Iran.
Hezbollah currently holds more missiles pointed at Israel, more than most states have in their arsenals. At least 150 thousand missiles say many assessments are under control of Hezbollah, with many long range rockets now with pinpoint targeting to hit cities like Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah also have developed an airforce of drones, some made locally in Lebanon, but others also supplied by Iran.
Hezbollah also has a ground force that has reportedly trained in Iran, as it prepared to seize northern towns in Israel, in attacks similar to Hamas’ invasion of southern Israel Oct 7.
The nexus of terror includes Russia
While Hamas did not receive orders from Moscow to attack Israel, Russian leader Putin has been sympathetic to Hamas and failed to speak out against the October attack on Israel.
And Russia has had direct negotiations in Lebanon with the Hezbollah, including say experts coordination of joint fighting in Syria with Russia forces cooperating with Hezbollah fighters on the ground there
President Putin no doubt hopes to benefit from an escalation in middle east fighting, not only as a boost to oil prices, but also as a distraction to his bloody invasion of Ukraine.
And of course Iran is helping Russia in supplying among other things, drones for Putin’s war in Ukraine.
The Houthi’s are promising retaliation for the overnight air strikes by the UK and U.S.
Western allies are saying they may carry out more strikes if necessary.
The temperature in the region just jumped a few degrees, and the possibility of more Houthi attacks is almost a sure bet, and of course the threat of more retaliation by among others the U.S. if that occurs.