The naval battle between Yemen's Houthis and the fleet of the United States and its ally, the Prosperity Guardians coalition, has drawn global attention. This war is unlike any other in the past, with Yemen's Houthi rebels using shore-based missiles and drones to blockade the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, threatening global ** shipping and container shipments.
The United States and other countries gathered in the Red Sea and other areas to carry out maritime escort operations. What are the political and geostrategic considerations behind this war?And how will the two sides respond to this new way of engaging at sea?Let's dive in.
The tactics of shore-based missiles and drones used by Yemen's Houthis are a new challenge to traditional maritime warfare. Their goal is not to sink more transports in a short period of time, but to strike at the economic interests of the Western world by blocking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
This unconventional method of warfare gives them considerable deterrence in this narrow sea area. The U.S.-led Prosperity Guardian Alliance fleet sent 96 ships to escort operations, including aircraft carriers, Aegis ships and other types.
The question they face, however, is how to deal with the shore-based anti-ship missiles of Yemen's Houthi rebels, especially those advanced missile systems backed by Iran. Yemen's Houthi missiles, although limited in their accuracy at long range, still pose a considerable threat to large ships in the narrow Red Sea theater.
Behind this war are more complex geopolitical factors. Yemen's Houthi rebels and Iran's resistance front are trying to disrupt Israel's military operations and expand the war in Gaza beyond Israel by conducting military operations in the Red Sea region.
Their goal is not just to move the situation in Gaza, but to seize Jerusalem. This strategic intent makes Yemen's Houthi maritime operations not only a military challenge to the United States and other countries, but also part of a regional geopolitical power contest.
The impact of this war will also ripple through the world** transport and container transport. The Red Sea and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait are important sea lanes between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, with about 12% of the world's ** traffic and 30% of container traffic passing through it.
The Houthi blockade in Yemen has led to global shipping rates** and has had a significant impact on the world**. The "imperious" attitude of Yemen's Houthis in this war is also quite surprising.
Despite the poverty of Yemen's own economy, they have dared to take extreme measures to challenge the military power of powerful countries such as the United States. They are not afraid of power and use missiles against each other, showing a firm will to confront the world powers.
The development of this war is still fraught with uncertainties, and the balance of power and geopolitical wrestling between the two sides will affect the future situation.
As the focus of attention of countries around the world, we will continue to follow the development of this incident and hope that the two sides can seek a more peaceful solution while avoiding more conflicts and losses.