Israel Gaza war: Yemen's Houthis warned against new attacks on shipping in Red Sea
BBC NewsDec 23, 2023
US, UK Forces Shoot Down Over 20 Houthi Drones and Missiles
story
Image copyright: Sayed Hassan/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
US and UK naval forces downed over 20 drones and missiles fired by Yemen's Houthi rebels after the Iran-aligned militants launched one of their largest-ever attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the US Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday.
The "complex attack" involved 18 Iranian-designed one-way drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile, the US military said, adding that there were no casualties or damage in the 26th Houthi attack on commercial vessels in the Red Sea since Nov. 19.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The Houthis' largest attack to date is more evidence of their extremist strategy of holding the global economy hostage in their fight against Israel. The downing of the Houthi drones and missiles proves the West's willingness to militarily defend freedom of navigation on one of the world's most vital waterways. Only the Tehran-controlled Houthis can prevent further escalation by immediately stopping their illegal attacks and releasing detained vessels and crews. Should they continue their attacks, the West will hold them responsible.
Establishment-critical narrative
By playing tough with the Houthis, Washington is risking a military spillover of the Israel-Hamas war into Yemen. With its naval saber-rattling, the US is only targeting the symptoms and not the cause of the escalating conflict, which lies with Israel and its indiscriminate killings in Gaza. This is also why the pointless Operation Prosperity Guardian is by no means a broad coalition of like-minded allies, but rather a US-British hegemonic solo effort. European countries such as Spain have refused to join this excessive agenda of violence despite US pleas for cooperation.
