Saudi coalition strikes against Houthis

[Ihatetomatoes]

Popped the Saudi taking on The Houthis on a separate thread. The Houthis are those lovely individuals that some people in the UK were chanting support to back along to.turn ships around......

Saudi led coalition targetted military sites linked toYeman's Ansarullah Houthis in Hodeidah.

(Seems these proxies of Iran are fighting everywhere.

As someone said on a different thread "Iran has killed way more arabs than israel ever has, that should tell you something.
The IRGC going is the best thing that can happen for the entire region frankly.")

https://www.thejc.com/news/palestine-protestors-chant-in-support-of-houthi-rebels-t3rlbac1

There are videos online showing the support

Those 'lovely' people who were singing in support of The Houthis..... do they also support the Houthis in the attacks on Saudi or in the mass slaughter of ordinary Yemenis 🤔 they killed thousands.... perhaps those thousands dont matter though.

"There is no precise or universally agreed-upon number for the total people killed by the Houthis. However, the UN and conflict monitors estimate the overall Yemeni civil war has caused over 150,000 direct fatalities—along with hundreds of thousands more from indirect causes like famine and disease. "

Another proxy that has brought misery to their own people

Why have this line in your thread title " some people in the UK were chanting support to back along to".

What is the thread about ? "Some people in the UK" or the ongoing Houthi Saudi Arabia conflict that has been going on for 10 years ?

And why the reference to Arabs ? Iran is not an Arab country. What has that to do with anything ?

I’ve been conflating the Houthi with the Hutu that massacred the Tutsis.

But other than that, yes it’s probably about time neighbouring countries acted.

Thank you.

The Houthis are a terrorist organisation. Currently Saudi are striking military targets of The Houthis.

That is what the thread is supposed to ve about. Another head of the medusa that Saudi is attempting to tackle.

My point is relevant that people in the UK were chanting support of this terrorist organisation, the video proof is in the link. So people in the UK have shown support for a terrorist organisation that not only slaughtered their own people in their thousands, but also attack Saudi or others in the region. So some people in the UK are happy to support proscribed terrorists when it suits, that same terrorist organisation has attacked Saudi (amongst various ships previously) and Saudi are not attacking them.

My overall point is, make it make sense, marching and chanting the name of a terrorist organisation that has killed hundreds of thousands. Do those chanting only care about some people slaughtered? Surely anyone who cares about the deaths of innocents wouldn't support a terrorist organisation and sing praises to them?

I think I have the wrong thread title. I'm showing my exasperation at the blatant disregard for some lives in singing the praises of a terrorist organisation which The Saudis 🇸🇦 are now attempting to tackle.

My point is relevant that people in the UK were chanting support of this terrorist organisation,

The State of Israel has been accused of engaging in state-sponsored terrorism, as well as committing acts of state terrorism on a daily basis in the Palestinian territories. Countries that have condemned Israel's role as a perpetrator of state-sponsored terrorism or state terrorism include Bolivia, Iran, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, and Yemen. (Wiki)

Many people in the UK support Israel/IDF

So it's understandable that some people would support the Houthi actions, because their objectives and beliefs align.

Quote :" Another head of the medusa that Saudi is attempting to tackle."

A bit emotive I think.

I am well rusty on the Yemen civil war thing. But I do remember there were accusations of Saudi Arabia acting as proxies for the Obama administration. It has been going on for a long time.

As I recall nobody likes the Houthi much. They are an odd sect that thinks the whole world should be Houthi or something like that. And I don't know when Iran got involved. Was it before or after the Saudis got involved on behalf of the US ? I can't remember, it was a long time ago.

You think it's understandable that some support terrorists actions. 🤔

Seems some in the UK like the Houthis

Its a reference (clumsy probably) to how they were referred to previously, this time though, cutting the heads off the particular terrorist organisations not cutting heads off of people.

I realise that some terrorist organisations practice cutting actual heads off, it's sick in my opinion no matter who does it.

"Saleh called running Yemen to be akin to dancing on the heads of snakes."

@RedTagAlan

Have you read this? It's very interesting. Elizabeth Kendell is an expert in the field. The Houthis are quite different in many ways, hence why I find it strange that people in the UK might chant their name. Perhaps the chanters don't really understand who The Houthis are now and what they stand for, who knows 🤷

https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/in-conversation-with-elisabeth-kendall-on-what-the-houthis-really-want/

That's blocked for me sorry.

So this is really a thread about people in the UK who support what the Houthi are doing and not about the Houthi themselves? So it's more about free speech, and specifically speech you do not like ?

Update on last post. The link did open, just took a long time.

I was wrong to say they were a tribe. They are a cult. But I do not see anything in that article that is shocking to me. It is standard cult with guns stuff. And quoting from the article :

"EK – Yes, ultimately, the drivers of the Houthi movement were domestic. They were domestically generated: they were about having access to power, territory, and resources. And even today, what do the Houthis really want? They want money and power, and for that, they need access to energy resources, oil and gas, and they need to control coastline, because they need imports; they need customs, they need taxes. And, of course, they’ve got leverage by hanging onto Yemen’s coastline, as we’ve seen.
Now, Iran has been a useful ally for them, and they have been a useful ally for Iran, but it would be wrong to see them as nothing more than a direct proxy of Iran. Iran does not have direct command and control over the Houthis. Right now, that’s almost a moot point, because they’re aligned in their animosity to Israel, and to America. So they’re heading in the same direction, currently. But that doesn’t mean that they can’t diverge, and it doesn’t mean that, if Iran withdrew all of its support, they wouldn’t be able to continue."

It is a domestic cult in a civil war. I bolded the parts that I think are important in this context.

As I said above, I am very rusty on this, but what is in that article is familiar.

Shame its blocked it gives a really good account of The Houthis from where they started to current aims. Its a really good read by an expert. Very long though, otherwise I'd copy and paste.

No its a thread about The Houthis and Saudi but I myself blurred by adding that people in the UK cheered them on (they did, and I wonder if many actually know much about them and just joined in with the ditties).

Not about speech I don't like at all. I do find it surprising when individuals show support for a terrorist organisation that believes in death to the west, (that's us here in the west). Here in the UK showing support for proscribed terrorist organisations is actually illegal, nothing to do with me not liking it, its illegal here.

"showing support for a proscribed terrorist organisation is illegal under UK law (specifically the Terrorism Act 2000 on GOV.UK), and key offences include inviting support, recklessly expressing support, and displaying symbols of the group. Under counter-terrorism legislation, penalties can reach up to 14 years in prison."

You are underestimating the relationship between Iran and the Houthis:

Iran is the only country who recognises the Houthi government in Sana'a, and according to the Council of Foreign Affairs (CFR) "Iran is the Houthis' primary benefactor", providing them with weapons, training and military intelligence.

This relationship has been a significant factor in enhancing the group's military capabilities. Through this alliance, the Houthis have gained access to advanced weaponry, including sophisticated missiles and drones, which would have otherwise been impossible for them to manufacture independently.

Iranian support has played a crucial role in strengthening the Houthis' ability to assert military dominance within Yemen. However, analysts suggest that the strategic impact of this support extends beyond the Yemeni conflict, influencing regional dynamics and altering the balance of power in the broader Middle East.

According to Gulf analyst of the Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies "The role of Iran has been decisive in providing the Houthis with smuggled weapons and expertise to project power into the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iranian_support_for_the_Houthis#:~:text=Iran%20is%20the%20only%20country,weapons%2C%20training%20and%20military%20intelligence.

@RedTagAlan my mistake and I apologise for it, The Houthis, are not proscribed in the UK. So support for that terrorist group is ok at present......

From here

"While the UK government has classified their actions as acts of terrorism and expressed significant concern over threats to international shipping, the group is not listed on the UK's Proscribed Terrorist Groups or Organisations list.The primary reasons for this ongoing non-proscription include the severe risk of interrupting vital humanitarian aid to civilians in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and complications with banking and NGO engagement. However, the UK actively applies UN and UK sanctions and arms embargoes against specific individuals and entities associated with the group."

What does it matter if they are proscribed or not ? They are a religious cult with guns in one of the poorest nations on earth, with neighbours who are one of the richest countries on earth.

I don't know the pre conflict history of the official Yemen Government, but I know they did have PRC anti ship missiles that the Houthi captured and used a couple of years back. So if the official Government was PRC aligned, that maybe explains why Obama asked the Saudi Government to act as proxies against them. If that is what happened. My memory might be wrong; it very often is.

Lets check. Doing this as I write this post...

Yes. It was Obama. Sample link here.

How U.S. Policy in Yemen Went Tragically Wrong - Yale University Press

A quick scan of that. Yemen was soviet aligned. Then PRC, then Houthi happened, and instead of dealing with the armed cult directly, it was passed onto Saudi Arabia.

Why does it always come back to US foreign policy ?

I say that in exasperation. Not as a challenge to your good self.

I reckon these threads should be about finding out.

I do remember there was a thing with Saudi Arabia awarding Rolls Royce cars to pilots who killed Houthi. There was a bit of a scandal about that. About 2014 I think. Lets check... No, I am wrong. It was Bentleys in 2015.

Saudi was never acting a proxy for obama (bwahaha lol) the Houthis attacked the recognised government of Yemen, they are an insurgency group that believe that only the direct descendents of hashemites should be able to govern Yeman (i.e. themselves). They are basically a bunch of Jihadis waging war on other Yemenis, freedom fighters they are not. They are anti democracy, anti equality, basically believe in inflicting a caste system on Yemen. The information is out there.

Saudi attacked them because they are an Iranian proxy destabilising a neighbouring country. Oooh lookie…doesn’t that sound familiar. Again with the third worldist thinking which flattens complex histories in the middle east to …”it must be the wests fault some how”. Sorry but the Houthis have been around for an extremely long time, and they have been head bangers all that time.

Also good for saudi but they will struggle, they struggled with the Houthis before, they basically need help from the Israelis on targeting. Houthi air defences seem to be difficult for the Saudis to cope with.

What came first ? The civil war, the Saudi involvement, or the Iranian involvement ?

Oh, and where do the US, and the greater west slot in ?

I am seeing something about a Saudi/Iran peace deal brokered by the PRC to stop hostilities in return for Iran to stop supporting the Houthi.

And that ties in with last weeks Saudi attack after an Iranian plane was detected flying to Yemen.

Iranians started backing the houthis in the 90’s they are a branch of shiite islam, then they attacked the government and then saudi attacked them. Actually very similar to the cultivation of hezbollah started as religious exchanges.

Saudis basically been bribing the houthis to not attack them for a while because the US lost interest in these little pirates.

The recognised government of Yemen requested Saudi help to deal with that plane from iran, it obviously still landed.

If anyone is genuinely interested “conflicted” did an amazing wide ranging 3 part history of yemen podcast on the history of the houthis, absolutely fascinating.

Also people must get past this idea that arabs are one block or that some arab countries are acting because they are controlled by america or those zionists. They are acting in their own interests, gulf countries move extremely slowly, decisions are made very carefully (sometimes the wrong ones) they are cautious and they value their stability over and beyond anything else. They don’t do stuff just because, if they actually did what americans wanted them to do there would have been a co-ordinated gulf armed forces response in February.

They are perfectly capable of being rational actors with agency. I dislike this racism of low expectations directed towards arabs. It’s inaccurate and insulting.

Am Yisrael Chai

oh and the west fucked up really badly in the battle for the port of hodeidah, they prevented what would have been a decisive defeat of the houthis because a bunch of NGO’s hassled Obama and all they achieved was the extension of a war that should have finished years ago. The intervention of the west was supposed to save lives, all it has done is prolong the misery and prevented a resolution. The only interest any western nation has in the houthis is because they interfere with shipping, thats it. Which is why the emirates and the saudis were forced to try to deal with them themselves.

it’s interesting that you even ask where the west slots in, the assumption is that the west is involved in any meaningful way at all. The middle east is full of whackjob fundamentalists who would be like that even if the west didn’t exist.

I agree its about finding out. There are so many innocents killed in the pursuit of power. I do try to read as much as possible and know it's not black and white. Israel is not all bad. The US is not all good or bad. Terrorists don't appear to consider their own people when the act. Etc etc etc