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Given that the last time the Houthis hit a ship, it was a Danish-owned vessel flying the Singaporean flag en route from Singapore to Egypt, either the Houthis h
by yorwba 3y ago
Given that the last time the Houthis hit a ship, it was a Danish-owned vessel flying the Singaporean flag en route from Singapore to Egypt, either the Houthis have terrible aim or they're not entirely honest about their motivations. Given how difficult it is to hit a ship out in the water in the first place, I think the second explanation is more likely.
- jacooper 3y agoWhich was covertly going to Israel.
- ethbr1 3y agoRelated question: why is Iran okay with the Houthis targeting random international shipping?
- Balero 3y agoThe majority of global shipping benefits people Iran don't like. Disrupting this therefore is to their benefit. It adds extra headache for 'the west'.
- ethbr1 3y agoBut Iran also likes the Houthis being a credible threat to Saudi Arabia and the UAE even more. Continuing to poke international commercial shipping will obviously trigger a response. No one powerful, even China, wants non-military ships being attacked. So they're risking substantial damage to Houthi power for... what? Tying up naval capacity? Eh. Temporarily. And with minimal effect on Israel/Palestine.* Boosting the price of oil? Maybe. But doesn't seem to be doing much yet. At Russia's behest? Maybe. General chaos elsewhere and tying up ISR assets benefits Russia. * Would become much more relevant if Hezbollah enters the war.
- Balero 3y agoYou make some good points. But the Houthis have been being bombed by Saudi Arabia for years and haven't been crippled by it. Getting them to poke and prod some shipping could be and easy way to cause an outsized impact. It could also be an internal thing for the Houthis that we (certainly I) don't know about. Being able to say "We're standing up to Israel and the US" could be big for their credibility in Yemen. That is pure speculation however.
- yyyk 3y agoIt's a way to hurt Biden in the elections. (Trump was tougher against Iran but they feel they can survive it. What's important is that the Mullahs read all the press arguing that Trump is a danger to the American republic itself and take it into account. How often does one get a chance to seriously harm such a powerful country like the United States? For people whose call is 'death to America', this is a one time opportunity, which at worst won't work. These people are compulsive gamblers especially with assets they can afford to lose like the Houthis.)