Washington [US], February 5: After armed groups in Iraq and Syria, the US chose the Houthi forces in Yemen as the target of the attack in the second large-scale response in the Middle East in the past few days.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced yesterday morning (February 4) that it and the British military carried out attacks against 36 targets of Houthi forces at 13 locations in Yemen. The attack destroyed underground weapons storage facilities, missile systems, command and control centers, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) warehouses, radars and helicopters.
Second round of retaliation
This is the second large-scale US campaign against organizations linked to Iran, in response to attacks targeting international maritime activities and US forces in the region, including one incident that killed soldiers. Americans died in Jordan on January 28. In the opening campaign on February 2, the US launched more than 125 weapons against more than 85 targets of armed groups in Iraq and Syria accused of being behind the attack on Jordan.
In yesterday's announcement, CENTCOM said the US and UK airstrikes were in response to Houthi's illegal and destabilizing activities, including consecutive missile and UAV launches attacking international commercial ships and ships. American war in the Red Sea , Bab al-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. In addition, CENTCOM also said it had carried out a self-defense attack and destroyed Houthi cruise missiles that were preparing to be launched at ships in the Red Sea.
Since the conflict between Hamas and Israel broke out in October 2023, US forces and allies in the Middle East have suffered more than 165 attacks and Washington has also responded. However, the attack in Jordan that killed 3 US soldiers and injured more than 40 others was considered the final straw, putting the White House under pressure from Congress to take stronger action. The US accused Iran-backed armed groups of being behind it, while Tehran denied any involvement. White House officials said the strong response will be divided into several waves but also emphasized that they do not want the conflict in the Middle East to spread or war with Iran.
The Iraqi and Syrian governments condemned the US action on February 2, while Iran warned that retaliation would only increase tension and instability. According to CNN, the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on February 5 at the request of Russia to discuss US air strikes in Iraq and Syria.
Waiting for Iran's move
While all sides assess the damage, the question is whether Iran will respond or accept de-escalation.
According to analysis by The New York Times , the expectation of the US and its allies is that Iran will choose the second option when it sees no benefit in participating in a "tit for tat" with a much larger opponent. comes with potential risks. However, it is impossible to predict with certainty whether Iran's proxy groups will accept this option or not. After the second round of bombardment last night, Houthi spokesman Nasr al-Din Amer said that Western forces will not be safe without peace for Yemen, Palestine and the Gaza Strip. "We will use escalation to respond to escalation," the official declared.
According to Professor Peter Bergen at Arizona State University (USA) - a national security analyst for CNN, Washington's response is unlikely to prevent Iran's proxy groups from attacking Iran's targets. US and maritime activities in the region, as seen after many previous US air strikes. The expert suggested that the only way to minimize the possibility of a broader conflict in the region is for the US to focus on resolving the underlying cause, which is the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper