Month: January 2024

The Houthis Have Become Key Partners in Tehran’s Quest for Regional Dominance

Since November, the Red Sea has become the site of escalating attacks by Yemen’s Houthi movement, the armed group that governs most of Yemen’s population. These assaults, which the Houthi rebels say are designed to pressure Israel to end the war in Gaza, mark the emergence of a new conflict zone in the already volatile Middle East. By effectively closing the sea to cargo ships, the strikes have disrupted global trade and earned the Houthis unprecedented international attention.

Iraqi MP and Hizbullah Brigades in Iraq (Kata’ib Hizbullah) official Hussain Mouanes discussed on a January 26, 2024 show on Mayadeen TV (Lebanon) a recent announcement that he has been put on the U.S. Treasury sanctions list. He said that he is proud to be on the sanctions list and that he has nothing to hide. Mouanes said that the U.S. forces must be expelled from Iraq “one way or another.” He further said that their presence in Iraq constitutes a threat. On January 22, the U.S. Treasury announced that it has sanctioned three leaders of Katai’b Hizbullah, which it referred to as “one of the IRGC-QF’s [Iranian Revolutionary Guards – Qods Force] main Iran-aligned militias in Iraq.”

The recent announcement of an assassination of the commander of the Security Belt forces (in South Yemen), Brigadier General Abdul Latif Al-Sayed, by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is yet another reminder that not only have the security and terrorism concerns in South Yemen have not been put to rest, but that growing sectarianism and political battles over the direction and future of this area plays into the hands of the international terrorist organizations. AQAP took credit for the attack, which also killed several other leaders, according to Aden Al Ghad. Yemen security researcher Elisabeth Kendall pointed out that Abdul Latif Al-Sayed had a falling out with Al Qaeda in 2011, and since then had been a repeat target of assassination attempts.

The course of events will affect Washington’s credibility as a stabilising force in the Middle East as it comes under pressure from allies and adversaries, analysts say

The US could find itself dragged into another Middle Eastern war as the strikes could trigger more involvement from the region’s armed groups, they add

Iran’s actions against commercial shipping and efforts to support its “axis of resistance” allies are increasing the prospects for direct US-Iran armed conflict.

Iran and the United States appear to be inching closer toward open warfare, unintentionally, even as officials on both sides try to avoid a broader armed conflict in the region.

Iran and its regional allies appear to be locked into hardline stances in favor of attacking U.S. and allied interests, and U.S. officials are under pressure to respond forcefully.

Given that the U.S. presence is vital for the survival of the AANES, the prospect of withdrawal leaves the entire issue uncertain Akil Mahfouz writes in Athr Press.

While the Autonomous Administration and the SDF exert significant control in eastern Syria, the region faces persistent high levels of perceived threats. The presence of the United States, supporting the Autonomous Administration and opposing Turkey, contributes to this tension. There’s an American interest in forming militias from local tribes, potentially serving as a “partial replacement” along the Euphrates line and the Syria-Iraq border. Forecasts suggest a greater likelihood of violence than resolution in eastern Syria, intensifying tensions between the SDF and Arab tribes in the Euphrates line.

The Pentagon has proposed a plan suggesting that the Syrian Kurdish allies, involved in the campaign against the Islamic State (ISIS), consider forming a partnership with the Syrian regime. This proposal is part of a comprehensive reevaluation of the United States’ Syria policy, currently in progress at the State Department. Notably, input from Turkey, a key NATO ally, is being sought for this review, according to sources “familiar with the discussions” who spoke to Al-Monitor under the condition of anonymity.