Where does the Houthi declaration lead the mobilization for Gaza?

Where does the Houthi declaration

lead the mobilization for Gaza?

Alexander Karpov

Yekaterina Kyiko and Vladimir Downe wrote an article on RT's Russian

language website that addressed the implications of

the Houthi declaration in Yemen to mobilize

for possible assistance to the Gaza Strip.

The article published on Thursday

December 21:

Yemen's Houthis announced a public mobilization to prepare fighters to

 participate alongside Palestinians in the conflict with Israel.

This was cited as a statement by the Political Office of Ansar Allah, stating that

combatants would participate in the conflict "if there were conditions

and opportunities to reach the Gaza Strip

 and participate in military operations

In the midst of the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea

the United States had earlier announced the launch of Operation "Boom Guard"

to ensure safe navigation, in which the United States

along with Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands

Norway, Seychelles and Spain, participated, with experts suggesting that

the Palestinian-Israeli conflict risked escalating to

a widespread regional confrontation.

In northern Yemen

 under Houthi control (Ansar Allah)

a public mobilization was announced to train fighters to participate in

the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, according to Khazam al-Assad, a member of

the movement's political bureau, who said:

 "As for the general popular mobilization of our people in the Gaza Strip

it has started in all governorates, opened training camps

volunteered

tens of thousands of young people to learn military skills, and has already

graduated several groups in various Yemeni governorates."

According to the member of the Political Bureau, combatants

will participate in the conflict "if conditions and opportunities

exist to reach the Gaza Strip and participate in military operations".

Maritime Battle

The Houthis had announced the end of last October the start of

military operations against Israel in support of the Palestinians.

By then

several drones and ballistic missiles had been fired

at Israel from the territory under their control.

Representatives of

Ansarullah also made threats against the United States

which supports Tel Aviv, and the Houthis later announced

their intention to attack any Israeli-linked vessels in the Red Sea

describing their actions as a response to the "Israeli-American aggression"

 in the Gaza Strip.

Following mobilization reports, M23 representatives again reiterated threats

 against the United States, declaring their willingness to attack American

vessels if they continued to interfere in the country's affairs or attack Yemen.

Houthi leader

Abdul Malik al-Houthi said:

"We will make American ships the target of our missiles

and we must not be afraid of these threats."

Commercial vessels in the Red Sea have been repeatedly attacked

from Yemen's territory, a number of which have been seized.

For its part

warships that arrived in the region

with United States aircraft carrier groups in support of

Israel have repeatedly intercepted drones and ballistic

 missiles launched from Yemen.

Maersk, one of the largest logistics companies in the Red Sea year

also suspended transport due to the ongoing bombing and seizure of

ships by the Houthis

 followed by a number of companies, in particular

oil and gas giant BP also refused to transport oil through this area.

In response to the Houthi actions

the United States announced on December 18 the start of

Operation "Boom Guard" in the Red Sea.

A statement issued by the Pentagon on behalf of its President Lloyd 

Austin stated that "The recent escalation of reckless Houthi attacks

 from Yemen threatens free trade flows

endangers the lives of innocent sailors and contravenes international law" 

The statement emphasized that the Red Sea is one of the most important

maritime routes without which freedom of navigation is unthinkable

and a major trade corridor guaranteeing international trade, an "international

 challenge requiring joint action" in the words of the statement.

To implement this process

the United States has formed an international coalition that

 has included Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands

Norway, Seychelles and Spain.

It should be noted that the Pentagon's statement made no mention of

any specific military objectives to be achieved by this coalition and its troops.

At the same time, White House Strategic Communications Coordinator John Kirby explained during a press conference that they would not accompany civilian vessels continuously across the Red Sea to ensure security.

Kirby continued:

"There is no need to draw parallels here with the unification of fleets

 during World War II. These vessels will serve as a single formation element

within a special group. However, their deployment in the Red Sea would be commensurate with the presence of merchant vessels and the threat posed by Yemen. "

At the same time, Kirby avoided directly answering a question about why Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which had previously fought against the Houthis in Yemen, were not involved in Operation "Prosperity Guard."

New conflict geography

the head of the Department of Political Analysis and Social

and Psychological Operations of Russia's Belikhanov University of Economics

 Andrei Kushkin, said that the Houthi statement about their intention to 

send their fighters to Gaza indicated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict 

had begun to expand its borders.

"The Houthis have wanted to play an active role in the conflict before

but the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia

 have not allowed them to pass through their territory. 

They then began firing rockets and drones and attacking container ships

 and dry carriers. A month later, the United States began its operation

but Yemen continues to attack all ships approaching. 

We now see how the conflict between Palestine and Israel began to

 expand geographically with the participation of other parties. "

Kushkin added that it was clear that the current situation worried

 the United States, but it was unclear how the Americans

 and their allies would be able to neutralize the Houthis. 

He continued: 

"Simply ensuring the safe passage of dry carriers and civilian container vessels is

 ineffective. A ground operation is necessary, but it is unlikely that 

the United States will decide to do so. "

The expert noted that the Biden administration is now unable to agree

 on military funding for Ukraine and Israel, the situation in Yemen

is emergency, there are no funds for such a ground operation

and "other coalition members will also not want to bear such expenses"

according to Kushkin.

At the same time, the expert stressed that the situation in 

the Red Sea could indeed directly affect Western countries' economic well-being.

According to Kushkin

"oil and gas prices have skyrocketed, as vessels transporting them

now have to circle around Africa to go to Europe, prolonging the sea route."

Sobonina added:

 "The Houthis make these declarations 

for local use, as well as for strengthening their regional relations.

 They have no material capacity to send fighters to the Gaza Strip

and this part of the Palestinian territory is now under complete siege

by the Israelis, and it is impossible to enter the Strip from the Egyptian side.

 The maximum the Houthis can do is launch rocket attacks. 

However

the symbolic importance of this solidarity with

the Palestinians is of course very great. "

According to military expert Ivan Konovalov, the mobilization announced

 by the Houthis and the start of the United States naval operation

 indicate that the situation in the Middle East has become tense

and this escalation is not receding.

Konovalov continues:

 "This is, of course, largely due to the fact that the conflicting parties

 cannot find common ground, nor are their allies from different parties

 trying to do so. The parties were incompatible, and serious measures

 must be taken to guide the situation in the negotiating direction. 

There are possibilities for this, but it is necessary

 for someone other than Russia to insist on it. nevertheless, the United States continues to make efforts to ensure that the conflict does not end ".

Konovalov doubts that the United States will somehow be able to influence

the Houthis through military means

and asks: 

"The war in Yemen has been going on for a long time, and is being fought 

by a coalition led by Saudi Arabia, under which strikes against

 the Houthis are regularly carried out, but this has not changed anything.

 This raises the same question:

 How will the United States strikes change the situation?"

In turn, Jelena Sobonina believes that the risk of a major conflict in the region

 remains, stating: "Everyone has now moved a bit away from the abyss after which

a major regional war begins, but they have not moved far. 

October was the most dangerous phase of the conflict. 

But the new round of confrontation

now associated with the Houthis, once again brings us closer to this edge. The spectre of a major war between Iran on the one hand and Israel and the United States and their allies on the other will loom in the near future.

 However, it is felt that many, including Washington

want to avoid this. The situation is very serious, but there is still

an opportunity to avoid the more serious consequences. "