The Galaxy Leader cargo ship seized by Houthi fighters in the Red Sea (French)
An article in the British newspaper "The Telegraph" discussed the battle for freedom of navigation in the Red Sea, and said that it is still ongoing, and will remain so for the foreseeable future.
The author of the article, Tom Sharp, attributed this to a simple reason - as he put it - which is that achieving the Houthis’ ultimate goal of disrupting the flow of shipping traffic is easier than the international coalition trying to restore it.
The Houthis enjoy the advantage of the landowner, as Yemen is a country bordering the Red Sea, and therefore they are fully aware of the sea conditions and climate, and both of these points are in the interest of the attacking party, according to the article.
The nobility of their intelligence apparatus
The writer continues to highlight the advantages enjoyed by the Houthis, as he says that their intelligence apparatus, “although modest,” is “ancient and well-established.” Although its capabilities have declined thanks to American and British air strikes, it is still working.
The Houthis are also believed to have a variety of attack options, including anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles, land-attack missiles, a seemingly unlimited amount of unmanned aerial vehicles, a multitude of fast attack boats, and sometimes ships and drone boats.
As for the alliance, it is complex, as it includes many countries or players on the field, as the writer likes to describe them using sports terms that suggest that the alliance has a mosaic nature. He said that many of them play well, but some of them play different sports, and some of them have not yet decided which team they will play for.
The large number of coalition ships in the Red Sea
According to the article, there are many warships in the open Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, from the United States, Britain, France, Italy, South Korea, Spain, and India (there are large numbers of them in the Gulf of Oman), as well as Japan, Egypt, Israel, China, and, of course, Iran.
The British writer describes what the Indian Navy is doing, whether in the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean, to protect ships from attacks and help those in danger, as “great work.”
China's lack of participation is strange
He adds that China's non-participation in this alliance is even more surprising, as the failure to even respond to daily ship distress calls "is a worrying violation of maritime codes of conduct." Egypt "is present in the northern Red Sea, but with a limited number of ships, and many believe that it must do more."
The only navy that can be compared to its British counterpart - in the writer’s opinion - is the French one, “if not better in terms of ground attack options,” but its presence in the region has been characterized by irregularity.
Unless a miracle happens
The Saudis expressed their reluctance to participate for political reasons, and their commitment to a ceasefire with the Houthis, in addition to their gradual rapprochement with Iran.
The author concludes that the coalition ships and their crews will remain in the region for a period of time, unless a “diplomatic miracle” occurs.
Source: Telegraph