The Houthis shot down an American drone worth $30 million on May 17. The Houthis are an anti-American militia that rule the most important parts of the country of Yemen in Arabia. The downing of the drone was announced in a video that chanted the Houthi slogan, “death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.” The northern part of Yemen, which contains 80% of its people, is controlled by the Houthis.
The Houthis have restored slavery in Yemen. “The Houthis have expanded slavery in the areas of Yemen they control. More than 1,800 Yemenis are kept as slaves” by Houthi leaders.
Due to their support for terrorist attacks, the Houthis were designated as a foreign terrorist organization under the Trump administration. But after taking office, President Biden foolishly took the Houthis off the terrorism list. That was followed by a massive increase in missile launches and attacks on shipping by the Houthis, who began attacking ships traveling in one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, the Red Sea (which leads to the Suez Canal).
The Houthis have a history of shooting down American drones. They are provided with the weapons needed to do so by Iran, which gives them missiles capable of high-altitude attack. The Biden administration has shown weakness toward Iran, such as paying a $6 billion ransom to Iran for 5 American hostages. That encouraged other countries like Russia to take American hostages, which they did, resulting in more Americans being held hostage than when Biden took office.
The Iran hostage deal emboldened Iran’s proxy, the Houthis. They subsequently took aim at the West, by attacking ships in the Red Sea, and seizing a Japanese ship, to keep vital cargo from passing through the Suez Canal.
The Houthi attacks have greatly increased the cost of international shipping, and delayed shipments, by making many ships take a time-consuming detour around southern Africa rather than risk being fired upon by the Houthis as they travel near Yemen toward the Suez Canal.
The Washington Post notes that “Sending a ship through the [Suez] canal will now cost $3 million to $5 million, including higher insurance charges, security and danger pay for the crew. Diverting around southern Africa’s Cape of Good Hope — which adds seven to nine days to the trip from Asia — could cost $2 million for the same type of ship.”
Al Jazeera notes that the strikes on ships by the Houthis “have forced ships to change route, causing major disruptions in companies’ chains of production. Attacks on vessels by Yemen’s Houthi rebels in the Red Sea have disrupted international trade on the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.”
The Houthis on Friday took credit for shooting done the American drone, after video appeared on the internet showing wreckage of an MQ-9 Reaper drone on fire. The Houthis later released video showing a surface-to-air-missile being launched at night, along with night-vision footage of the missile hitting the drone. It was accompanied by a man chanting, “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”
Today, the Houthis attacked a ship in the Red Sea west of Yemen. These are just the most recent attacks by the Houthis.
In recent years, the U.S. military has lost at least five drones to the Houthis. The type of drone lost yesterday — an MQ-9 Reaper — costs around $30 million, can fly at up to 50,000 feet, and can remain airborne for a full day.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have stepped up attacks on shipping, not only in the Red Sea — west of Yemen — but also in the Gulf of Aden — south of Yemen in the Indian Ocean. The Houthis have launched more than 50 attacks on shipping, seized one vessel and sunk another in the last six months.
Early today, the British military reported that a crude oil tanker came under attack off the coast of Yemen’s big port city of Hodeida, which handles most of Yemen’s imported goods. This ship’s captain reported modest damage after being struck by missile, causing a fire in the steering gear flat. The Greek-owned oil tanker and its crew are apparently safe and continuing to the next port of call.
Despite their violence, extremism, and reinstitution of slavery, the Houthis have been praised by left-wing groups in America, such as the National Lawyers Guild. The National Lawyers Guild shares the Houthis’ reflexive anti-Americanism. People affiliated with the radical National Lawyers Guild have gone on to become federal appeals court clerks to progressive judges. Such left-wing law clerks draft opinions and orders for powerful Democratic-appointed judges in cases affecting the lives of millions of people, pushing the law in a leftward direction.
