Russia GIVES Houthis ANTI-SHIP MISSLES!
The top U.S. military officer issued a warning about Russia’s potential interest in delivering anti-ship missiles to the Houthis, a terrorist group with Iranian support, saying it might “broaden the conflict.”
At the Aspen Security Forum on Friday, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. C.Q. Brown stated, “We’d prefer them not to do that.” They’ll do as they choose; they’re a sovereign nation. The main thing to remember is that we don’t want to escalate the dispute. Additionally, if the Houthis are receiving support, this contributes to the spread of the conflict and further complicates matters in the Middle East.
After first declining to “validate” allegations that U.S. intelligence agencies believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering a plan to arm the organization, Brown made that conclusion. The Houthis would be better able to threaten important international maritime routes as a result of this transfer, and Russia’s military collaboration with Iran would now involve one of its most abrasive proxies.
U.S. Central Command chief from 2019 to 2022, retired Gen. Frank McKenzie, told Middle East Eye last month that there was a link between Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Red Sea. According to Putin, the United States is to blame for the Ukrainian attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea. He might consider taking action in the Red Sea to be retaliation.
Such a transfer would intensify a threat that the military community in the United States already finds unsettling and frustrating. It has been reported that the Central Command successor to McKenzie has alerted his superiors to the fact that the United States is “failing” to stymie the Houthis due to regulations that have limited his options.
“Teaching the military to restore freedom of navigation while directing them to remain defensive will not suffice,” a U.S. official, who wished to remain anonymous, informed the Wall Street Journal, which published Kurilla’s letter. “The main goal is to protect ships without addressing the underlying issue.”
Targeting Houthi locations in Yemen, the United States, and the United Kingdom have carried out multiple coordinated operations. But the Houthis have attacked ships all throughout the Red Sea using a combination of missiles and naval drones.
Central Command stated on Tuesday that the Houthis, who are backed by Iran, “continue to engage in reckless behavior that poses a threat to regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.”The Houthis say they are defending Palestinians in Gaza, but in reality, they are pursuing and endangering the lives of foreign nationals who are unrelated to the Gaza crisis.
Brown underlined the possible dangers of a more vigorous endeavor while issuing a warning that “it’s going to take more than just a military strike to change the Houthis.”