Is another war about to break out in the RED SEA (re: above map). It sure seems possible now with so much in the news over the past year and now almost daily.
Who is behind something like that? Seems it could be
Iran based on this article from NEWSWEEK
and this worrisome headline (formatted to fit the blog):
“Joe Biden's Dangerous New Red Line”
Global oil and gas prices are rising due to a steady drip of
attacks on commercial shipping transiting the Red Sea by Houthi militants in
Yemen, with the Iran-aligned group looking to undermine Israeli, American,
and broader Western interests amid the Israel-Hamas showdown in Gaza.
For example, BP said it would pause all shipments through the Red Sea, citing a deteriorating security situation.
Other
shipping giants: MSC, Maersk, CMA CGM, and Hapag-Lloyd have all also said they
will avoid using the Suez Canal route into the Red Sea due to safety concerns.
Evergreen Group's container shipping operation said it would suspend Israeli imports and exports “with immediate effect until
further notice.”
The unfolding maritime crisis poses another thorny problem for the White House, which is said to be juggling divergent demands from its regional allies.
The UAE, Bloomberg reported,
is pushing for direct military action and the re-designation of the Houthis as
a terrorist organization. But Saudi Arabia favors a more diplomatic approach,
fearing further Houthi escalation. There is no easy fix to the Houthi problem.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have been at war with the
organization since 2015, working in vain to restore the Yemeni government
overthrown in 2014. They are still heavily armed and trained extensively by
Iran, but retains significant operational independence.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced
the U.S.-led “Operation Prosperity Guardian” to enhance security for
shipping transiting the conflict region, with the participation of the U.K.,
Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Seychelles, and
Spain, and he added: “The Red Sea is a critical waterway that has been essential to freedom
of navigation and a major commercial corridor that facilitates international
trade.”
Michael Allen, who served as special assistant to President George W. Bush and the senior director at the NSC told Newsweek: “The situation is getting more and more tense,” adding: “There's so many different fronts, highlighting the Gaza campaign, fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, shooting along the Israeli-Lebanese border, militia strikes on American targets in Iraq and Syria, and now regular attacks in the Red Sea, and suggesting that an expansion of the war remains unlikely,” then he noted: “The chances are increasing if the Houthi are able to get a shot off and actually hit one of our destroyers — the missile defense fails, or something gets through — there's going to be hell to pay. President Biden, as much as he doesn't want to escalate — and that does seem to be the overriding thesis of his foreign policy if you want to stretch that to Ukraine and the Middle East — I don't see how he's going to avoid it. If they land a punch, Biden is going to have to hit back very, very hard.”
Allen offered this background on that saying that the White House has appeared reluctant to respond to the steady drip of attacks on U.S. targets in Syria and Iraq in recent months, but did eventually order several airstrikes on Iran-linked targets in both countries, then he added: “One American civilian contractor was killed in the series of incidents. Another death in the Red Sea — whether military or civilian — may force Biden's hand and if they kill any U.S. citizen, I think that is Biden's trigger to hit back. But with each new attack comes new risks. It's a math problem.”
Thus far, Western military vessels have weathered Houthi attacks.
For example, the USS Carney (seen
here) has repeatedly shot down dozen drones and ballistic missiles
fired from Yemen, while the French Languedoc frigate has also intercepted
Houthi munitions.
My 2 Cents: As the outlook
for 2024 slowly creeps in past a lousy 2023 year, things don’t look good on
many fronts: Political, Economic, Social, and well, just about any other, and
that’s due to tyrants, dictators, and wannabes pushing their agendas: One
planet under their control – just that simple.
Nowhere it that any
clearer than right here at home with Trump and his moves to win again in 2024
and join that club of strong armed men as their new partner (that I posted next below FYI).
Time of course will tell
but right now things don’t look great for mankind and planet Earth – but I hope
I am wrong.
I’m loath to say that in
such stark terms, but, sadly it’s true – that is for those like-minded who see through
all the crazy talk and actions by the tyrants now seeking more unrestrained power.
The only way I see any positive
way ahead is for decent people to be alert, and stay alert, and do the research
on things that are positive to help make sure the gloom and doom never takes
place for the sake of decent freedom-loving people worldwide.
Thanks for stopping by.
No comments:
Post a Comment