Why Yemen’s Houthi rebels welcome conflict with the US
CNNJan 23
Yemen: US Launches Additional Strikes Against Houthis
The Facts
The US military launched new attacks on Sunday against the Iran-aligned Houthi group in Yemen, which claims to be attacking ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with the Palestinians over the Gaza conflict. Washington also warned of further attacks targeting Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria.
The US Central Command claimed the "self-defense" strikes hit four anti-ship missiles allegedly being prepared to be fired against ships in the Red Sea, adding they posed an "imminent threat" to US naval vessels and commercial ships in the region.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The Houthis use the Gaza war as a pretext to justify their Red Sea aggression. Their anti-American and anti-Israeli stance serves the purpose of increasing their regional popularity and consolidating their domestic authority. The US and its allies' retaliatory strikes are a powerful means of deterring the Houthis and other Iranian proxies. Indeed, Washington's firm stance prompted Iran's proxy militia in Iraq to announce a halt to its operations against US targets following the attack that killed three US service members.
Establishment-critical narrative
Framed as retaliation for the deaths of three service members, the US and its proxies are stepping up their indiscriminate attacks against regional resistance groups such as the Houthis, who are allied with Iran but not under Tehran's command. The Houthis are conducting their operations in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, while the US is deliberately escalating tensions instead of asking Israel to announce an immediate ceasefire. The illegal and mindless US attacks will only accelerate the end of US regional hegemony.
Nerd narrative
There's a 13% chance that the US and Iran will be primary actors on opposite sides of a war before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.