Why did Yemen become the center of attention in the conflict between Israel (and its allies) and the Palestinian people? Here’s why the US and UK have attacked the Houthi rebels.
The United States and the United Kingdom have carried out a new series of air raids in Yemen. They are targeting the Houthi Rebels, a Shiite militia financed by Iran. The rebels are showing their support for the Palestinian people by blocking and attacking merchant ships and oil tankers headed for Mediterranean ports.
Approximately 12% of world trade passes through the route that crosses the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb and the Suez Canal. For this reason, many define the attack by the United States and the United Kingdom as a military response to commercial sabotage and in defense of trade worth 1.2 trillion dollars a year. It is therefore precisely to protect trade, as well as navigation in the waters, that the two countries intervened.
The actions of the United States and the United Kingdom appear as an attempt to protect their interests, even in the face of what is considered in the Middle East as legitimate protest against Israel’s genocidal actions.
The Houthis, after attacks on their infrastructure, such as weapons warehouses, declared retaliation. “The attacks - saysd the military spokesperson - will not go unanswered”.
Why is the Bab el-Mandeb Strait in Yemen so important?
Yemen is located in the south of the Arabian Peninsula and overlooks the Red Sea, in particular the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. All maritime traffic en route for the Mediterranean passes through this strait.
From India or China, for example, freight ships first pass through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, then through the Red Sea, and finally through the Suez Canal to find themselves in the Mediterranean, one of the richest areas in the world. The alternative to the passage through Yemen is much further down, south of Africa, and then from the Strait of Gibraltar.
The entire material economy of the world is transported by ship (90%) and 30% of it passes through the strait overlooked by Yemen.
Who are the Houthis?
The Houthi movement emerged between the 1980s and 1990s in the country’s north. In this strip of land, the majority of the population belongs to the Shiite Islam movement (practiced by approximately 35% of the population). This religious movement, which exists only in Yemen, takes the name of "Zaydism". It is precisely the Zaydis who have dominated the territory of Yemen for centuries, until 1962 when their government was overthrown and an Arab republic led by the Sunnis (65% of the population).
Threatened by the expansion of Wahhabi Sunnism, an extremist form of Islam promoted by Saudi Arabia, counter-groups began to form in the 1980s. The first rebellion was held in 2004, but it was forcibly suppressed and the leader of the movement was killed. Many young Shiites decided to join the group and the matter worsened in 2011, with the Arab Spring toppling many authoritarian regimes in North Africa and the Middle East. In Yemen, President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to resign and a power vacuum was created, occupied by the Houthis.
Yemen was then devastated by a civil war: on the one hand, the Houthis conquered territories towards the south and the capital Sana’a; on the other, the Yemeni government was supported by Saudi Arabia, the most powerful country in the Middle East. The bulk of the fighting took place between 2015 and 2018. Today, the parties have accepted a ceasefire.
The start of the Israel-Hamas war represents an opportunity for the Houthis as it gave them the chance to further strengthen their rule over Yemen. Furthermore, the attacks on foreign ships in the Red Sea are an action that legitimizes them within the Islamic world, as well as raising them to defenders of the Palestinian cause.
Why did the US and UK attack Yemen?
The Houthis, to support the Palestinian people, have decided to attack commercial ships passing through the Bab el-Mandeb canal. The intent is to hit Israel, the country responsible for the Palestinian genocide, but (not too) indirectly all commercial traffic passing through the area was hit.
The plan was successful: the Houthis with their attacks reduced the passage of ships in the strait by 70%.
In order to avoid damage to their ships, many companies have stopped passing through the Strait in Yemen, going around Africa instead. The decision resulted in an increase in travel times and an increase in costs of goods.
It also resulted in a steep increase in oil prices, at a time when they were finally starting to come down.
The United States warned the Houthis several times of possible retaliation, but the boycott continued (to the detriment of capitalist interests). Thus, in the night between Thursday and Friday, the United States and the United Kingdom (but also Canada, the Netherlands, and others) hit the bases with around 100 missiles in order to disarm the rebels.
Is there a risk of escalation?
Escalation following this attack is unlikely. An expansion could occur if the US or Israel decided to attack Iran (financier of the Houthi rebels and Hezbollah). However, there is no such intention for the moment.
Iran, for its part, also has no intention of going to war.
Original article published on Money.it Italy 2024-01-14 18:52:26. Original title: Cosa sta succedendo in Yemen spiegato in modo semplice
