Experts believe that the longer the massacres against Palestinian civilians in the enclave continue, the ripple effect will be felt by the US hegemony in the region, particularly in the Red Sea.
It has the world's most formidable aircraft carrier fleet, which, at times, can be found sailing in the South China Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea and many other places far beyond the US borders.
When the US warships were targeted by Yemen's Ansarullah in the Red Sea, it was viewed as an embarrassment, perhaps more so than its humiliating withdrawal from Afghanistan.
When Ansarullah began its military operations against Israeli and Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea in support of Gaza, which has now expanded to include US ships in the waterway, the movement sent a message to the US that it was not the masters of these seas.
On the morning of January 12, US warships launched 150 bombing assaults on Yemen in addition to a follow-up attack on a radar facility 24 hours later.
Since then, Ansarullah has fired a missile at a US navy destroyer, while targeting and damaging more Israeli and US vessels with missiles and drones in the Red and Arabian seas.
Just like the Israeli army recklessly rushed into the war on Gaza and now finds itself stuck in the enclave, the US (backed by Britain) also made a rash decision to attack Yemen and now finds itself bogged down in a battle with Ansarullah.
The initial bombardment of Yemen, despite Washington claiming it was a one-off attack, has proven to be serious threat.
To protect its image, the US Central Command has announced more strikes on Ansarullah positions as standing back, holding fire, and doing nothing would be a major embarrassment for President Joe Biden.
The question, that everybody has been asking, is whether the US can afford to sustain its bombing campaigns on Yemen.
The evidence shows that it can attack Yemen but will fail to restrain Ansarullah from launching more military operations against Israeli and now US vessels in the Red Sea or the Sea of Aden.
Washington had the easier choice of informing the Israeli regime to cease its indiscriminate airstrikes on Gaza but failed to do so.
It now finds itself in a battle with Ansarullah. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder has been vague over the level of damage his department believes it has inflicted on the Sanaa government's capacity to launch missiles and drones.
It is important to point out that Ansarullah survived (and effectively triumphed) eight years of war led by the US which began in March 2015.
The vast majority of bombs dropped on Ansarullah during this period were US-made munitions. Throughout this time, Ansarullah staged its own attacks against Saudi targets, bypassing US-made defense systems.
The popular movement and government in Sana'a, which controls most of Yemen, has also upgraded its military technology, capacities, and tactics. It can launch missiles at Israeli and US ships from the back of modified trucks.
These modified vehicles are very easy to move around and have left experts questioning if US warships stationed in the Red Sea will start going after trucks in Yemen.
The US can continue bombing Yemen and Ansarullah positions for a long time, but history suggests that Ansarullah can also retain its ability to close the Red and Arabian seas to Israeli and the US shipping for a very long time as well.
Ansarullah didn't become so popular if it had not been for the vast support its government receives back at home in Yemen.
On Thursday the movement’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, called on the Yemeni people to go out on Friday in their millions to rally in support of Palestine, and participate in the funeral of the "martyrs of the American-British aggression".
He also said it was a great honor to be in direct support of the Palestinians in Gaza and in confrontation with the Israelis, Americans and the British.
Others pointed out, "The United States' classification (relisting Ansarullah as a terrorist organization) targeting the Yemeni people and serving the interests of the Zionist entity will not affect Yemen's position towards Palestine."
The question for the US and President Biden, in particular, is how far is he willing to go against a defiant Ansarullah. Is he enthusiastic to open a new front in the Israeli war on Gaza and escalate already high tensions in the region?
Analysts have also speculated whether Ansarullah will expand its operations against regional US naval bases or if Biden will tell Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end Israel’s massacres against Palestinian women and children in Gaza, allowing the Red Sea to return to its normal business.
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