West is united against Houthi threat, says Biden as Britain and US launch air strikes in Yemen
The TelegraphJan 12
Yemen: US Launches Fresh Missiles on Houthi Target
The Facts
The US on Saturday launched fresh air strikes against a Houthi radar site in Yemen "to degrade the Houthi's ability to attack maritime vessels."
Described by the US as "follow-on action," the strikes were carried out by the Navy destroyer USS Carney and come a day after US and UK forces reportedly hit 60 targets across 28 sites in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
The strikes targeting the Iranian-backed Houthis have come after diplomatic efforts by the US and its allies failed to deter the rebels from further operations against international commercial shipping and US and UK warships. The decisive action against the militants proves that the West stands united in defense of international law and free trade. Since military power seems to be the only language the Houthis and Iran understand, the rules-based international order must not shy away from taking further action if necessary.
Establishment-critical narrative
With the US-British aggression against Yemen, the West's moral bankruptcy in defense of its so-called "rules-based order" is now on full display. While Washington supports Israel's genocidal Gaza campaign, it's now bombing Yemen for the Houthis daring to stand up for Palestinians by targeting Israeli-linked ships. As so often, the latest US aggression is a recipe for more, not less, violence and instability. The West has deliberately expanded the Israel-Hamas war to distract from Israeli war crimes and will suffer the consequences of its heavy-handed actions.
Nerd narrative
There's an 8% chance that the US and Iran will be primary actors on opposite sides of war before 2025, according to the Metaculus prediction community.