Can London fill the American vacuum in the region, and how did the Houthis respond?

The United States withdraws the US aircraft carrier Eisenhower from the region (Reuters)

London - Sanaa - Washington - 

The United States' withdrawal of the aircraft carrier Dwight Eisenhower from the region, in light of the expansion of current tensions, the latest of which was the killing of 3 soldiers and the injury of dozens at the "Burj 22" base in northeastern Jordan, has raised many questions.

Military reports indicated the normality of aircraft carriers routinely returning to their main home in the United States periodically for maintenance, changing the military crews working on them, and other operational requirements.

US President Joe Biden blamed Iranian-backed armed groups for the deaths, after months of strikes launched by the Houthis against US forces since the start of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.

Ned Lazarus, a lecturer specializing in international affairs at George Washington University, pointed out in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, “The United States does not want to be drawn into a broader regional war, which is something the administration seeks to avoid by maintaining its military responses proportionate after a series of attacks on forces.” and American interests by the Houthis and Iranian-sponsored armed groups in Iraq.”

Washington and the Houthis

On the other hand, in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, Trita Parsi, Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute, noted, “It is certain that the aggression on the Gaza Strip has benefited the Houthis so far, and there is a possibility that the Houthis would have stopped their attacks if the United States pressured Israel to cease fire.” In Gaza, indicating that their priority was a ceasefire rather than a confrontation with Washington.”

Parsi stressed that Washington failed to deter the Houthis, considering that "the Houthis are not as strong as the American army, and they are also not an offensive force. However, they have tactical and qualitative advantages that enabled them to prolong the confrontation with the United States."

Speaking to Al Jazeera Net, Parsi said, “President Joe Biden has put the United States in a bad position, and the escalation against the Houthis is unlikely to succeed, and will only inflame the situation further. Ironically, the Houthis are pushing Biden to pursue what, in fact, lies.” In the interest of the United States, which is a ceasefire in Gaza.”

A British attempt to fill the void

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said at the conclusion of a meeting with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, at the Pentagon headquarters in the American capital that his country is ready to send the aircraft carrier to "fill the gap" if the US aircraft carrier "Dwight Eisenhower" leaves the waters of the Red Sea within a few months.

The British Defense Minister held a series of meetings with members of the US administration, including US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, in a visit that the British government spokesman said included consultations regarding developments in the situation in the Middle East.

But the mission of “filling the void” that may be left by Washington’s gradual withdrawal from the region in an attempt to reduce the escalation also indicates the exchange of roles between London and Washington in their management of the conflict in the Middle East and the completion of another chapter in the history of their “special relationship” and the close military alliance between the two armies that fought together. In many arenas in the region during the past two decades.

British Defense Minister: We are ready to send an alternative aircraft carrier in the event of the departure of the American (French) aircraft carrier

The naval fleet is suffering

The British Defense Minister’s talk from Washington that the American aircraft carrier cannot remain in the region “forever” and that his country is ready to intervene to ensure that there is an “insurmountable error” in light of the escalation of Houthi attacks on global shipping lines, the British are trying to portray it as an effort. It is shared with the American ally to secure one of the most important global shipping routes, but it is also read in other circles in the context of the complete identification of the British position with the military steps taken by the Americans in the region, with which London appears forced to respond to American pressure.

But Washington may impose on the British a task that they do not seem willing to bear, in light of doubts about the readiness of British naval vessels to participate in a risky mission after the accident of two British ships colliding with each other in the waters of the Red Sea a few days ago, and the decline in the size of the British naval fleet, which is losing... Its strength compared to competing powers such as China and Russia.

Britain has two aircraft carriers, the "Prince of Wales" and the "Queen Elizabeth", which are considered one of the most important pieces of the British naval fleet. If the "Queen Elizabeth" aircraft carrier is directed to lead military operations against the Houthis in the Red Sea, military experts doubt the extent of its ability to survive. in the region for the long term; Due to several logistical problems and the extent of its readiness to carry out the same role played by the American aircraft carrier "Dwight D. Eisenhower."

Despite the military reservations about a step of this kind, in political calculations, the Conservative Party and the Labor Party agree on the necessity of deterring Houthi attacks and reopening shipping lanes safely, as the two parties, which are preparing to enter decisive parliamentary elections within months, continue to appeal to the electoral bases, especially the conservative right, as they may Developments in the Middle East top the list of foreign files on which some may decide their electoral vote.

Houthi challenge

In Yemen, the Ansar Allah Houthis express a major challenge to the American and British movements in the Red Sea, and they consider the strikes by Washington and London on Yemeni areas under their control, especially the capital, Sana’a, and the city of Hodeidah, as an “aggression” that they must confront, and they confirm their continuation of their decision to prevent Israeli ships, or those heading to... "Ports of the occupying enemy in occupied Palestine."

The Yemeni military expert, Brigadier General Abed Muhammad Al-Thawr, confirmed that Yemen possesses missile weapons capable of reaching all hostile targets in the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, and said, “Any American or British destroyer or battleship that poses a threat to our country will be a legitimate and easy target for us.”

Brigadier General Abed Al-Thawr, who is close to the Ansar Allah Houthi group, said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net that "any British threat to send an aircraft carrier to the Red Sea will have major repercussions and their losses will be greater. We have military capabilities, especially missiles, to deal with any developments in the Red Sea."

In his latest statement today, Thursday, the military spokesman for Ansar Allah Houthis, Brigadier General Yahya Saree, confirmed that “all American and British warships in the Red and Arab Bahrain participating in the aggression against our country are within the target bank of our forces, and will be targeted within the right of legitimate defense of our country, our people, and our nation, and in confirmation of the continuation of the situation.” Yemeni supporter of Palestine.

The Minister of Defense in the Houthi government in Sanaa, Major General Muhammad Al-Atfi - whom Washington recently included and 3 other Houthi military officials in the naval forces on the US sanctions list - appeared with the included officers in one of the meetings, and announced his challenge to the American-British threats, and affirmed the ability of their forces for long confrontation. .

Major General Khaled Ghorab, an Air Force officer in Sanaa, previously confirmed to Al Jazeera Net that the Yemeni forces under the control of the Ansar Allah Houthis have "high-tech weapons capable of reaching all distant targets at sea or on land."

Major General Ghorab added that the Yemeni forces were trained in wars and multiple forms of combat engagement, "and our forces were built in light of the fact that the enemy controls the air, and therefore our forces are considered infertile and they will not be able to reach them."

Source: Al Jazeera