By the end of the year, the situation had become increasingly volatile. The escalation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the continuous fermentation of Palestinian-Israeli contradictions have two common threads between the two crises: behind-the-scenes manipulation by the United States and indirect involvement by the US military. However, the picture changed abruptly, and the US military eventually showed up and directly destroyed three Houthi ships in the Red Sea region. The "stuffy" moment of the US military in the Middle East may have come!
According to the latest reference information, Reuters said on December 31 that the US side claimed that the US Navy's *** destroyed three of the four ships of the Houthis in Yemen on the 31st. The vessels were originally used in an attempt to attack a Maersk Line container ship in the southern part of the Red Sea.
The U.S. military acted very decisively, not only by striking ***, but also successfully destroying three of the four Houthi ships. The U.S. military claimed that it was a total annihilation strike, meaning that no one survived. Although this kind of hard-hitting capability is not surprising, the sudden change in the situation lies in the fact that the US military, which has always liked to stand behind the scenes, has personally stepped in this time. Was it forced to do so, or was it because the Houthis were unable to fight back, causing the U.S. military to change its strategy?
In fact, we have also observed that in past missile and drone attacks, the Houthis have not taken direct action against the US military, even though they have been intercepted by the US military. However, this time the U.S. military took the initiative and sank three Houthi ships and wiped out all of them. This seems to break the "tacit understanding" of the past, making it possible for the Houthis to retaliate directly against the US military.
Looking specifically at the reports of the US military, we can analyze the reasons why the US military broke the tacit understanding and acted in person. Are they forced to be helpless, or do they think that the Houthis have no strength to fight back?This incident may mark an unprecedented challenge for the U.S. military in the Middle East.
According to the latest reports, the U.S. military ** command recently issued a statement saying that after receiving a distress signal from a container ship of Maersk Line, the U.S. Navy's "Eisenhower" aircraft carrier and the "Greave" destroyer sent *** small boats to fight back against the Houthis in self-defense, and successfully destroyed three of them, unfortunately no one survived. The fourth dinghy managed to escape from the area where the incident occurred.
The current situation shows that there may be the following three reasons for the US military to intervene.
First, the Houthis are relatively weak. In previous confrontations, the U.S. military has effectively intercepted Houthi missiles and drones, and has a full understanding of its strength, so it is more confident in its response. This is different from the attitude towards Russia, and the United States may not dare to act rashly. This can also be seen as a manifestation of the "law of the jungle".
Secondly, it may be a last resort. This is not to say that the four Houthi boats are a last resort for the US military, but that the threat of Houthi attacks on the Red Sea route has forced the US military to act. If nothing happens, Israel's material shipments will be significantly hampered, and the situation will become very serious.
Third, Israel may have reached the brink of endurance. While the Middle East "Little Bully" has always been strong, as a relatively small country, Israel does not dominate the global oil market. The continued Houthi attacks have a direct impact on Israel's maritime transport, leading to cancellations or bypasses by international shipping companies. If it continues, the United States and Israel may have a hard time coping.
Although the U.S. military successfully rescued the Maersk merchant ship, there were no signs of fire on board, and the ship remained steerable and continued to sail north to the port of Suez. However, the threat from the Houthis is clear. Maersk announced that it would suspend all vessel operations across the Red Sea for 48 hours.
In the next operation, the Houthis may not hesitate to strike directly at US military targets, using the following possible means:
First of all, it is possible to use sea speedboats to carry out attacks that attack the east and the west. This tactic, designed to directly disrupt U.S. forces while intercepting target merchant ships, provides a new tactical option.
Secondly, a combined attack with missiles and speedboats is possible. Direct strikes on US military targets are carried out by missiles and speedboats, combined with the interception of target merchant ships, to increase the effectiveness of strikes.
Third, it is possible for the Houthis to obtain more advanced equipment by "raiding" the ** depots in Iran and other places to directly strike at US military sea or land targets.
In short, Middle Eastern countries may directly strike at the US military by using the Houthis to launch a "human war". However, this must be accompanied by adequate support and a good use of rogue tactics to deal with the situation.