Abdul Malik Al Houthi Assault : Red Sea to Israel – 2023-24 Naval Incidents & US Response Unleashed

The Houthi movement led by Abdul Malik al Houthi have caused worry on a global scale, and diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful conclusion to the Yemeni crisis have focused on this issue. The leadership of Abdul Malik al Houthi has had a significant role in determining the nature of the conflict. 

Following the commencement of the Israel–Hamas conflict in 2023, the Houthis, declared their backing for the Palestinian cause and issued threats to strike Israel. Leader of the Houthis, Abdul Malik al Houthi, threatened to use drones and missiles in retribution if the US interfered. 

Iranian arms are the major source for the Houthis. They have a history of using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), artillery rockets, and surface-to-surface missiles. Their arsenal of missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) may reach Israel from Yemen. 

Based on reports from Western intelligence agencies, the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has sent an intelligence collection ship to direct Houthi strikes against vessels that disable their radios and identification. This is probably the Behshad, which took the place of the Saviz, which was used to provide the Houthis with weaponry and intelligence until it was attacked by Israeli limpet mines in April 2021, according to the Institute for the Study of War. Later, the Iranian battleship Alborz also made an appearance in the Red Sea. 

According to U.S. sources, on October 19, 2023, the USS Carney destroyer of the US Navy knocked down multiple drones and three land-attack cruise missiles that the Houthis in Yemen had launched against Israel. Since the start of the conflict, this was the first time the US military has taken action to support Israel.Subsequent reports claimed that the ship downed fifteen drones and four cruise missiles. Saudi Arabia is said to have intercepted another missile. 

 several missiles fired by the Houthis on November 14 was directed towards the city of Eilat. Israeli officials claim that an Arrow missile stopped the missile. 

The Abdul Malik al Houthi-led Houthi movement fired several ballistic missiles at Israeli military installations near Eilat on December 6, 2023. The USS Mason fired down a drone that was launched from Yemen that same day. It was unclear what its intended objective was. 

 Two drones that were fired from Hodeida, a port under Houthi control, were intercepted on December 10, 2023, by the French Navy’s frigate Languedoc while it was in the Red Sea. On December 16, 2023, the US Navy allegedly shot down 14 drones while the Egyptian Air Defense Forces detected an item that was flying close to Dahab.  

 The Houthis claimed on December 26, 2023, that they had attacked Eilat and other areas of Israel with drones.Twelve drones and five missiles fired by the US were shot down. According to the IDF, they also intercepted a rocket over the Red Sea that was fired toward Israel from Yemen.

On 4th January 2024 soon after the White House and several allies sent a final warning to the Iran-backed militia group to stop the attacks or face possible military action, an armed unmanned surface vessel launched from Houthi-controlled Yemen came within a “couple of miles” of American Navy and commercial vessels in the Red Sea before exploding. 

Who is Abdul Malik Al Houthi? 

The current head of the Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, in Yemen is Abdul-Malik Badreddin al-Houthi, who was born on February 22, 1982. Following the passing of his brother, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi, in 2004, he took over as commander. The Yemeni war has been centered around Abdul Malik al Houthi. 

After assuming control of the Houthi movement, Abdul Malik al Houthi was instrumental in its growth and establishment of dominance. In 2014, under his direction, the Houthi forces seized control of Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, sparking the ongoing, intricate struggle. 

A number of military operations against the Yemeni government and the coalition of Arab states led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have been spearheaded by Abdul Malik al Houthi. A serious humanitarian catastrophe has been brought on by the fighting, which has also claimed many civilian lives. 

Anti-American and anti-Israeli views have been voiced by Abdul Malik al Houthi and the Houthi movement. Additionally, they have criticized the coalition led by Saudi Arabia for its role in Yemen and charged it of violating human rights. 

Who are Houthi rebels? 

The Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah, is a political and armed group that originated in Yemen, named after its founder, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi. It emerged in the early 2000s in response to perceived marginalization and discrimination against the Zaidi Shia Muslim minority in Yemen. The Houthi rebels have been engaged in various conflicts with the Yemeni government and external forces. 

The Houthi movement gained prominence during the Arab Spring in 2011 and subsequently seized control of the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, in 2014. This led to a complex and ongoing conflict between Houthi forces and a coalition of Arab states, primarily led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, that support the Yemeni government. 

Yemen is now experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe as a result of the fighting, which has severely affected civilian populations and caused widespread displacement and food shortages. The issue has been a major source of international concern and is still quite complicated, involving several regional and international parties. 

Who was Hussein Badreddin Al-Houthi? 

Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi was a Zaidi Shia Muslim political and religious figure who was born in Sa’dah, Yemen, in 1959. He was instrumental in the development of the Houthi movement, which is also called Ansar Allah after him. as well as former member of the Yemeni parliament for the Al-Haqq party between 1993 and 1997. He was The Zaidi Shia minority in Yemen was allegedly the target of persecution, which gave rise to the movement in the early 2000s. 

 After completing his theological studies in Iran, Al-Houthi rose to prominence in Yemen by fighting for the rights of Zaidi Shias. He felt that his neighborhood was being neglected and marginalized by the Yemeni government, and he denounced them for it. Midway through the 2000s, hostilities between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government turned violent. 

In September 2004, Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi was killed in combat with Yemeni government forces. Abdul-Malik al Houthi, his brother, became the movement’s commander after the death of his brother. Sana’a, the capital of Yemen, was taken over by the group in 2014 as a result of its increasing power and influence, the ongoing conflict involving several regional and international entities is still raging in Yemen presently. 

 

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