(RepublicanReport.org) – Yemen’s Houthi rebels have escalated their attacks on global trade, cutting four undersea cables and disrupting communications between Europe and Asia. The terrorist group made this move despite having been targeted by US and British forces. Unfortunately, these retaliatory strikes haven’t been powerful enough to force the Houthis to rethink their choices.
Last October, the Houthi movement, an Iran-backed terrorist group that controls around half of Yemen, started attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The group claims it’s preventing shipments of military supplies to Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians, but in reality, it’s attacking ships indiscriminately.
On January 12, the US and UK retaliated, carrying out air and missile strikes on Houthi targets, and since then, there have been several more rounds of strikes. However, these attacks haven’t been aimed at disrupting the Houthis; instead, the Biden Administration has focused on taking out radar and missile sites linked to the attacks on shipping. That makes it harder for the Houthis to damage ships, but it doesn’t really hurt them.
Now, it seems the group is confident enough to open a new front in its war on the West. On February 27, analysts confirmed that four key underwater cables under the Red Sea had been cut. These carry data between Europe and Asia — and their loss could interfere with traffic between the major economies in both regions. Worse, with the Houthis still launching missiles and drones at any ship that comes within range, it could be hard to find a company willing to anchor an expensive cable-laying ship in the region to carry out repairs.
President Joe Biden has tried to deter the Houthis by using the bare minimum of military force against them. That obviously hasn’t worked; by attacking the cables, the extremist group has called his bluff. The question now is whether Biden will back down and let Iran expand its influence in the region, or hit the Houthis hard enough to teach them a real lesson.
Copyright 2024, RepublicanReport.org
