Why US-UK strikes on Yemen are not working: Unherd
5 Min Read
According to Philip Pilkington the YAF has already achieved its aim of establishing an effective naval blockade in the region and US and UK strikes are only making matters worse.
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Yemenis attend a rally against the U.S.-led strikes on Yemen and Israeli war on Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen, Friday, Feb. 23, 2024 (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
According to Philip Pilkington, recent airstrikes launched by the US and UK on the Yemeni Armed Forces(YAF) come at a time when the crisis in the Red Sea is only worsening.
Last November, Sanaa announced the launching of a series of operations against Israeli and "Israel"-bound ships in support of Gaza, until "Israel" brings an end to its genocide.
On Saturday, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported that 22 joint American-British aggression airstrikes targeted the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the provinces of Hajjah and Taiz. US and British forces carried out a fresh wave of strikes against 18 targets across eight locations in Yemen, a joint statement said.
Writing in Unherd, Philip Pilkington argues that despite the recent strikes, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) claimed Saturday that the Yemeni Armed Forces' attack on the M/V Rubymar ship in the Red Sea on February 18 caused "significant damage" to the ship and caused an 18-mile oil slick.
He notes that this is the first ship destroyed by the YAF and warns that the YAF is now using unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), also referred to as submarine drones.
He calls these inexpensive "guided torpedoes" supplied by Iran, and incredibly difficult to detect.
According to Pilkington, the Red Sea is being used to test new Iranian weapons, and the YAF has already achieved its aim of establishing an effective naval blockade in the region, with transportation volumes dropping to 80% since January.
He notes that China and Iran have ships in the area watching the situation, and claims they are undoubtedly gathering vital information on Western defense systems that may be utilized in a future confrontation in either the Persian Gulf or the South China Sea.
This leads him to question why the US and British powers would interfere and aid this effort, particularly since their efforts to deter the YAF were unsuccessful.
Pilkington evaluates 3 distinct periods since the YAF attacks began. From November 19, to December 17, no Western interference took place. Operation Prosperity Guardian began on December 18 and on January 12, he states the US and UK took an "offensive posture" rather than defensive and began attacking Yemen.
He notes that when Operation Prosperity Guardian began, the number of assaults each day decreased from 0.39 to 0.38, a statistically negligible drop. However, since Britain and the US began their operations in Yemen on January 12, the number of attacks has climbed significantly, reaching 0.53 per day.
Weak leaders 'lash out', no facts or reasoning
He contests that this proves the strikes to be not only futile but also having the opposite effect, agitating the situation and increasing hostility from Yemen.
"They are providing adversaries with intelligence on Western naval defensive systems, and it raises serious questions about the wisdom of the military action."
According to him, western actions come from a phenomenon known as "do something-ism," which he describes as a "weak leadership class feeling the need to act when an enemy or a rival engages in a provocation, even if such actions are counterproductive. "
He argues that such weak leaders do not make tough decisions based on facts and reasoning, rather they "lash out" to seem like they are addressing an issue.
In these cases, he states, "The fish rots from the head down, and the rotten head is currently sitting in the Oval Office in Washington, DC."
Maritime 'hegemonic influence' of US, allies is over: Yemen MoD
The Yemeni Defense Minister in Sanaa declared on Sunday that the era of "hegemonic influence" over international waters is over, reaffirming that the armed forces' operations will continue until the Israeli war on Gaza comes to an end.
"The US, London, and Israel have to realize that control over geography and claiming guardianship over the seas has become a rejected and unwelcome approach," Major General Mohammed al-Atifi said at a graduation ceremony of Yemeni cadets in Hodeidah.
The General praised the army's operations and stressed that maritime security in the Red and Arabian Seas has been properly redefined now that Israeli destabilization in them has been put to an end.
On Western allegations that Yemen is posing a risk to international maritime trade, he reiterated that attacks are exclusive to Israeli and "Israel"-linked ships.
"We reaffirm that the Yemeni Armed Forces will not target any ships that are neither affiliated with the Zionist enemy nor serving its interests. Marine navigation for vessels through the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea is safe," the Defense Minister said.
"Sanaa is committed to all international treaties and conventions that do not infringe upon Yemeni dignity and sovereignty or subject it to hegemony and foreign mandates," he continued.
The top military official vowed that "as long as the Zionists’ atrocities continue in Gaza, we will continue our operations against the usurping entity. Washington has aided and abetted the Zionist entity to forge ahead with its genocidal war on our Palestinian brothers and sisters."
