US strikes fail to deter Yemeni Ansar Allah's operations: Experts
5 Min Read
Ansar Allah are not only undeterred by the US-UK aggression but they are also reaping the benefits of their support to Palestine domestically and regionally.
-
Yemenis attend pro-Palestine and anti-US-led coalition protests in Sanaa, Yemen, on June 14, 2024. (AP)
Sanaa's Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) are undeterred by the American-British strikes on the country and will continue to cut off trade routes via the Red Sea, experts told Responsible Statecraft.
A report published by the outlet focussed on the latest US-UK strikes on Yemen and their effectiveness in achieving the objective of halting Yemeni operations in key maritime trade routes.
According to Thomas Juneau, an associate professor who focuses on the Middle East at the Univerity of Ottawa's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, the damage caused by US-UK strikes on Yemen has not reached "a significant level."
"The Houthis have suffered some losses, but they retain the ability to obstruct maritime shipping the Red Sea," the expert said in reference to the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement, which has led the political and military campaign of support to the Palestinian people.
Moreover, Juneau said the Yemeni Armed Forces' "intent to continue obstructing shipping in the Red Sea has not wavered."
Read more: 'Eilat' port CEO labels it non-functional due to Yemeni strikes
US fails to recognize the root cause of Yemeni operations: Palestine
It is crucial to note that the YAF has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to disrupt maritime routes for all, but instead is specifically targeting ships and vessels affiliated with the Israeli occupation or facilitating its genocide of the Palestinian people by shipping goods and equipment to the Israeli occupation.
The US-UK-led aggression on Yemen that kicked off in late December last year, only aggravated the situation in the Red Sea and nearby waters, as the campaign further militarized the region and resulted in rightful responses to attack on Yemen.
Ansar Allah and the spokesperson for the YAF, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, have made it clear on multiple occasions that their operations are directly linked to the US-backed genocide of the Palestinian people, promising to expand and carry on with their operations until the war on Gaza is halted.
The US has refused to admit to the fact and has instead communicated that the two events are unrelated, promising further military action against Ansar Allah, in order to "protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure for US, coalition, and merchant vessels."
The Responsible Statecraft pointed to the inconsistency of the US position, underlining that the White House has opted to continue its military operations against Ansar Allah, "rather than addressing the root cause of this behavior."
Read more: Red Sea rising: Exposing the West's diminishing naval power
Ansar Allah undeterred, US-UK strikes have little impact
In a similar context, Neil Quilliam, an associate fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at the London-based think tank Chatham House, said that Ansar Allah "have remained undeterred, and the US-UK strikes have had limited impact."
Quilliam's assertions are backed up by the fact that the YAF has launched multiple attacks following US-UK strikes on Yemen, which supposedly target essential military infrastructure, such as radar systems.
"Continuation of the military campaign is unlikely to deter the Houthis," he said in reference to the Ansar Allah movement.
According to Responsible Statecraft, since the aggression on Yemen began, the US launched 450 strikes on Yemen. However, these strikes have come to no avail and have only hardened the popular Yemeni position of supporting Palestine.
Read more: US, allies failed to stop Yemeni attacks: Axios on US intelligence
US-UK empowers Ansar Allah's position in Yemen
In this context, the online magazine pointed to improved domestic and regional political positioning that the Yemeni Ansar Allah movement has benefitted from as a result of its support for Palestine and the ensuing US-UK strike on the country.
The Yemeni party has reportedly gained additional recruits as a result of its maritime operations, as the country's citizens share a strong anti-Israeli sentiment and the YAF's confrontation of the Israeli occupation has been one of the rare cases of active support to the Palestinian people across the region.
The magazine says this has also put the rivals of Ansar Allah in Yemen "under increased pressure," including the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council. According to Juneau, Ansar Allah took the chance to bolster their position "as champions of the Palestinian cause," a fact that has been acknowledged by Palestinian Resistance fighters in multiple footage of battlefield operations in the Gaza Strip.
"The reality on the ground in Yemen is that the Houthis have won the civil war and the internationally recognized government is not in a position to challenge them; it is weak, fragmented, and corrupt,” Juneau reveals.
Yet, the Biden administration remains intent on violating Yemeni sovereignty and supporting the Israeli genocide of Palestinians, edging the region closer to fallout.
Read more: What the West needs to know about Yemen's Ansar Allah
![In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had "engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)](https://alpha-en-media.almayadeen.net/media/image/2024/12/21/b4a69f2e-8682-43e4-9d37-49482b304ab3/3.png?v=2&format=webp "In a 2021 interview with Frontline by former US special representative James Jeffrey, he says he had \"engaged with [HTS] via backchannels while serving in President Trump’s State Department. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)")
