“Yesterday, an MQ-9 did crash in the vicinity of Yemen. That is being investigated, but I don’t have any additional details to share,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists.

The Houthis claimed Tuesday that they had shot down three MQ-9s over the past week — a figure Ryder described as “too high.”

The Pentagon spokesman said he could not provide a specific number for security reasons, but that the Houthis’ figure “is not accurate.”

The latest drone crash came after the Pentagon confirmed in February that another MQ-9 — which can be used for both reconnaissance and strikes — went down off the Yemeni coast after apparently being struck by a Houthi missile.

The Houthis — who are opposed to government forces in Yemen and are one of several militant groups arrayed against Israel — began attacking shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November.

They say they are attacking Israel-linked vessels in support of Palestinians in Gaza, which has been ravaged by the Israel-Hamas war, but ships from multiple countries that have no ties to the conflict have been targeted.

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The ship initially exchanged fire with two small vessels, one with three to five people onboard while the second carried around 10, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said.

The ship was later “struck by two unidentified projectiles before being hit by a third,” the agency, which is run by Britain’s Royal Navy, said.

It said there were no reports of casualties but “the vessel reports being not under command,” meaning it was limited in its ability to maneuver, likely because of damage.

Maritime security firm Ambrey also reported an incident off Hodeida but did not elaborate.

There was no immediate claim for the attack but it comes as the Iran-backed Houthi rebels keep up a nine-month-old campaign against international shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden that they say is in support of Gaza.

Their campaign of rocket and drone attacks has severely disrupted maritime traffic through the Red Sea, which normally accounts for up to 12 percent of world trade.

The United States and Britain have responded by striking Houthi targets in Yemen since January but the attacks have done little to deter the rebels.

The post Vessel off Yemen ‘Struck’ by Three Projectiles: UK Agency appeared first on The Defense Post.

With Saudi Arabia once again seen as a pivotal player for the United States as the Gaza war enters its 10th month, the State Department said it would return to weapons sales “in regular order with appropriate congressional notification and consultation.”

“Saudi Arabia has remained a close strategic partner of the United States, and we look forward to enhancing that partnership,” State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters.

President Joe Biden took office in 2021 pledging a new approach to Saudi Arabia that emphasizes human rights and immediately announced that the administration would only send “defensive” weaponry to the longtime US partner.

The step came after thousands of civilians were estimated to be killed in Saudi-led airstrikes in Yemen, including children, in a campaign against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who have taken over much of the country.

But geopolitical considerations have changed markedly since then. The United Nations, with US support, brokered a truce in early 2022 that has largely held.

Since the truce, “there has not been a single Saudi airstrike into Yemen and cross-border fire from Yemen into Saudi Arabia has largely stopped,” Patel said.

“The Saudis since that time have met their end of the deal, and we are prepared to meet ours,” Patel said.

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“There has to be a military response to these crimes, which are shameless and dangerous, and constitute a major escalation by the Israeli enemy,” Abdul Malik al-Huthi said in a televised speech.

The Yemeni rebels have been launching drones and missiles at shipping in the Red Sea since November, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.

Last month, a deadly Houthi drone strike on Tel Aviv prompted Israeli air strikes on Hodeida, impoverished Yemen’s lifeline port, that killed nine people and triggered a massive inferno.

The rebel leader described the killing of the Hamas chief as “a flagrant violation of all norms and principles.”

He also condemned the killing of Hezbollah military commander Fuad Shukr on Tuesday in a Beirut strike claimed by Israel.

The post Houthi Rebels Vow ‘Military Response’ After Hamas Chief Killed appeared first on The Defense Post.

The Israeli strike, the first claimed by Israel in Yemen, set oil tanks ablaze at the vital port and came a day after the first fatal attack by the Houthis in Israel.

On Sunday, Israel said it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen and struck targets in southern Lebanon. Residents of southern Gaza reported combat in the Rafah area.

The fighting across the region came ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s trip this week to Washington, which has been trying to secure a ceasefire in the more than nine-month war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas in Gaza.

On Sunday, Netanyahu’s office said he was sending a negotiating team — it was unclear where — for new talks on a deal under which hostages held by Hamas would be freed.

But Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry warned Israel’s attack on Hodeida “aggravates the current tension in the region and halts the ongoing efforts to end the war in Gaza.”

Dozens have been killed since Saturday across Gaza, the civil defense agency in the Hamas-run territory said, including in strikes on homes in the central Nuseirat and Bureij areas and near southern Khan Yunis.

Residents said a major operation was underway in a district west of Rafah, where they reported heavy artillery and clashes.

On Sunday, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, chief of the Iran-backed group, said the Hodeida strikes would lead to “further escalation and more attacks targeting Israel.” He said the deadly Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv had opened “a new phase” in operations.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the rebels’ “response to the Israeli aggression against our country is inevitably coming and will be huge.”

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the fire left raging by the strikes on rebel-held Hodeida port “is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear.”

Gallant warned of further operations if the Houthis “dare to attack us” after the rebel strike hit Tel Aviv, at least 1,800 kilometers (1,119 miles) from Yemen.

It appeared to be the first to pierce Israel’s intricate air defenses, but an analyst said Houthi drones do not pose a “strategic threat” to Israel.

Fuel Storage Tanks

In Hodeida, six people were killed and 83 wounded, health officials said in a statement carried by Houthi media.

AFPTV images showed heavy flames and black smoke spiraling into the sky from burning oil tanks. Debris covered the dock where equipment was damaged.

Hodeida port is a vital entry point for fuel imports and international aid for rebel-held areas of Yemen, a country where the United Nations says more than half the population needs humanitarian assistance.

Analysts say the strike on Hodeida will likely only embolden the Houthis. They have already withstood since January repeated United States and British strikes aimed at deterring recurrent Houthi attacks on shipping.

The rebels also endured thousands of air raids during nearly a decade of war against forces backing Yemen’s internationally-recognized government.

On Sunday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen towards the Red Sea resort town of Eilat. The rebel spokesman said ballistic missiles were fired towards the port.

In Lebanon, Iran-backed and Hamas-allied Hezbollah said it fired Katyusha rockets and drones at northern Israel after Israeli strikes hit a weapons depot and wounded six civilians.

Hezbollah, which reported three more of its fighters killed, said Israel’s strikes on its Yemeni allies marked “a new, dangerous phase.”

Netanyahu to Washington

The Gaza war was triggered by Hamas’ October 7 attack on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

The militants also seized 251 hostages, 116 of whom are still in Gaza, including 42 the Israeli military says are dead.

Vowing to destroy Hamas, Israel has killed at least 38,983 people, also mostly civilians, according to data from the Gaza health ministry.

The war has left most of Gaza’s population displaced, much of the housing and other infrastructure destroyed, and essential goods in short supply as the UN says diseases are spreading.

Israel has started vaccinating its troops in Gaza against polio and supplying vaccines for the Palestinian population after health agencies said the virus was found there, the military said.

The war has brought Israelis to the streets, sometimes in their tens of thousands, demanding a deal to free remaining hostages.

On Sunday they protested at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv ahead of Netanyahu’s meetings in the United States where he will be under pressure to reach a ceasefire with Hamas.

The post Yemen’s Houthis Vow Major Retaliation for Israeli Port Strike appeared first on The Defense Post.

The rebels fired a “new drone called ‘Yafa’, which is capable of bypassing the enemy’s interception systems,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement on social media.

The Houthis have launched dozens of drone and missile strikes targeting shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November in a campaign they say is intended to signal solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war.

The latest attack struck “one of the important targets in the occupied Jaffa region, what is now called Israeli Tel Aviv,” the statement said, adding that “the operation has achieved its goals successfully.”

The Houthi announcement came after Israeli police on Friday reported a powerful explosion at a building in Tel Aviv around 3:00 am (0000 GMT).

Police said a search after the attack revealed one man “dead in his apartment,” bearing injuries caused by shrapnel.

Israeli emergency medical services said four people were taken to hospital with “relatively minor” injuries.

The Israeli army said the blast was “caused by the falling of an aerial target,” according to an initial inquiry.

A military official later told reporters that a “very big” drone was responsible. It was detected but the alarm was not immediately raised because of “human error,” the official said.

“No sirens were activated,” an army statement said, adding that the air force had “increased its air patrols in order to protect Israeli airspace.”

The Houthis’ military spokesman said last Saturday that his group “will not hesitate to expand its military operations… until the aggression stops.”

The threat came after the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said at least 90 people were killed and 300 injured in a strike on Al-Mawasi camp for displaced people. Israel said the strike targeted Hamas military commanders behind the October 7 attack that sparked the Gaza war between Hamas and Israel.

Commercial Hub

The Houthis have previously alleged several attacks targeting the southern Israeli port city of Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba, but Friday’s strike is the first operation claimed by the rebels against Tel Aviv, deep inside Israel.

The rebels on Friday declared the Israeli commercial hub “an unsafe area,” saying it “will be a primary target within the range of our weapons.”

Saree said the Houthis “have a bank of targets” in Israel, including “sensitive military and security targets.”

They “will continue… to strike those targets in response to the enemy’s massacres and daily crimes against our people in the Gaza Strip,” Saree said.

In a separate incident on Friday, projectiles struck a container ship off the coast of Yemen without causing any injuries, an attack likely carried out by the Houthis, maritime security firm Ambrey said.

“A Singapore-flagged container ship was ‘hit’ by projectiles” 80 nautical miles (148 kilometers) southeast of the Yemeni port city of Aden, Ambrey said in an advisory, adding that no injuries were reported in the attack that is consistent with previous Houthi operations.

British maritime security agency UKMTO also said a “vessel has been hit by unknown projectiles” southeast of Aden.

“All crew reported safe. Authorities are investigating,” said the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by Britain’s Royal Navy.

Houthi attacks have prompted some shipping companies to detour around southern Africa to avoid the Red Sea, a vital route that normally carries about 12 percent of global trade, according to the International Chamber of Shipping.

Egypt’s Suez Canal on Thursday reported a 23.4-percent drop in revenues attributed to disruptions in Red Sea shipping over the past year.

The post Yemen’s Houthis Claim Responsibility for Tel Aviv Drone Attack appeared first on The Defense Post.

The comment from Iran’s mission to New York comes with fears of a wider regional war involving Israel and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement. The two sides have engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire since the war in Gaza began.

Such exchanges have escalated this month, alongside bellicose rhetoric from both sides. Israel’s military said plans for a Lebanon offensive had been “approved and validated,” prompting Hezbollah to respond that none of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict.

In a post on social media platform X, the Iranian mission said it “deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime’s propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon.”

But, it added, “should it embark on full-scale military aggression, an obliterating war will ensue. All options, incl. the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table.”

The war in Gaza began in October when Hamas Palestinian militants attacked southern Israel.

Iran, which backs Hamas, has praised the attack as a success but has denied any involvement.

Alongside Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, Iran-backed rebels in Yemen have repeatedly struck commercial ships in the Red Sea area in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

Iran also backs other groups in the region.

The Islamic Republic has not recognized Israel since the 1979 revolution that toppled Iran’s United States-backed Shah.

Fears of regional war also soared in April after an air strike that leveled Iran’s consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.

Iran hit back with an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel on April 13-14.

Iran’s state media later reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan as US media quoted American officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival.

Tehran downplayed the reported Israeli raid.

The post Iran Warns Israel of ‘Obliterating’ War if Lebanon Attacked appeared first on The Defense Post.

It is for that reason that the mission of US troops in Syria should be expanded to include a new task: countering Iran’s destabilizing actions.

Since 2014, the stated US priority in Syria has been defeating ISIS. And while the terror group still maintains centers of strength in Afghanistan and the Sahel, in Syria it is “largely contained” and in a “survival posture,” according to a Department of Defense Inspector General report.

This provides an opportunity to refocus the US mission in Syria.

US Troops in Syria

Some might prefer to bring home the 900 American troops publicly acknowledged to be in the country.

Since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, there have been nearly 180 attacks on US troops in the Middle East, including those in Syria, resulting in the deaths of 3 servicemembers and traumatic brain injuries to at least 130 others.

The attacks on US forces are being undertaken because Iran views their presence as a threat. This is precisely why the United States should maintain its positions in Syria — and use them to counter Iranian influence.

Immediately withdrawing from Syria in response to growing Iranian attacks will be taken by Tehran as a sign of weakness — and only encourage more attacks against US troops elsewhere in the regions. It will also create a vacuum for Iran to fill, enabling it to further expand its footprint.

Iran’s Proxies in the Middle East

Freedom of action in Syria is critical to Iran’s goal of arming proxies and projecting power across the Middle East. Iran maintains a stronghold in the country’s easternmost area of Deir Ezzor, which is also the main transit area of new fighters and weapons through the Iraqi border at Albukamal.

At a training area there, in partnership with Hezbollah, Iran has drilled new fighters from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq in drone warfare and other capabilities, and has mobilized many of them to the Golan Heights to attack Israel.

In 2018, Tehran set up an air base outside of Palmyra, which Israel described as critical for transporting weapons to proxies across the region, including precision-guided munitions for Hezbollah. It was this air base that Israelis claim Iran used to launch drones towards Israel.

Disruptive Effect

US troops, by their presence alone, have a disruptive effect on Iran’s activity. Instead of withdrawing, American troops in Syria should be tasked with countering nefarious Iranian activities while also keeping ISIS on the back foot.

The objective should be to degrade Tehran’s ability to use Syria for regional power projection, training, arming, transport, and logistics for its terror network, particularly Lebanese Hezbollah.

Operationally, this would require a combination of hard and soft power: kinetic actions against Iranian military infrastructure, arms depots, and training sites; blocking actions to disrupt the land corridor between Iraq and Syria that Iran uses to transport weapons; and identifying and empowering local voices to promote awareness of Iran’s threats to the local population.

Conveniently perhaps, the US’ major troop presence in Syria is also in the eastern part of the country, within a stone’s throw of Deir Ezzor and other areas with a high concentration of Iranian military presence.

But the United States does not have enough presence to take on Iran’s proxies directly, it would need to build stronger partnerships in this part of the country.

Counter Iran Mission

The US-led Counter-ISIS Coalition has built an effective working partnership with key local stakeholders, particularly the Syrian Democratic Forces and local tribes, over the last decade. Given that those forces might be stretched thin with the ongoing counter-ISIS fight, the United States should prioritize coordination with regional partners like Jordan and Gulf States who have been responding to Iranian threats emanating from Syria over the last two years (particularly the interdiction of Iran-affiliated drug smuggling).”

No additional legal authority is needed for such a counter Iran mission, given that Iran is already engaged in an ongoing armed conflict against the United States.

As JINSA Distinguished Fellow military law expert Geoffrey Corn observed, the fact that Iran has persistently attacked US personnel means “that the United States is legally justified in identifying and neutralizing elements of Iranian military power – to include their proxy militias – without the need to engage in a separate self-defense analysis for every military engagement.”

Nevertheless, Congress passing an Authorization for the Use of Military Force against Iran would make this mission unimpeachable legally and usefully signal resolve to Tehran.

The United States should change its posture toward the Iranian regime as it continues to threaten US personnel and partners. The timing is especially crucial for our partners, particularly Israel, who have also been under Iranian attack.

Diminishing Iran’s footprint and freedom of maneuver in one of its most strategically significant areas of operation can have a significant impact on restoring security to us and our partners.

Lt. Gen. Scott Howell, USAF (ret.) is the 15th Commander of Joint Special Operations Command and is a 2022 participant in JINSA’s Generals & Admirals trip to Israel.

Blaise Misztal is Vice President for Policy at JINSA.

Jacob Olidort is Director of Research at JINSA.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of The Defense Post.

The Defense Post aims to publish a wide range of high-quality opinion and analysis from a diverse array of people – do you want to send us yours? Click here to submit an op-ed.

The post In Syria, the US Must Prioritize Countering Iran appeared first on The Defense Post.

The Houthis have targeted dozens of vessels since November in a campaign they say is intended to show solidarity with Palestinians during the Gaza war, and has disrupted global shipping.

The latest attack, which took place west of the port city of Hodeida, was carried out using a seaborne improvised explosive device, said United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations.

The crew and the vessel were safe and proceeding to the next port of call, said UKMTO, which is run by Britain’s Royal Navy.

Ambrey, a maritime risk management group, said earlier “a merchant vessel reported having been ‘hit’ by a projectile” as it headed to the Saudi port of Dammam.

“The vessel was transiting south along the Red Sea when she issued a distress call,” it said.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement that the vessel, Seajoy, was targeted with an “uncrewed surface boat and a number of missiles and drones.”

It was targeted for violations of the Houthi “ban” on visiting “the ports of occupied Palestine by the company that owns the ship,” Saree added.

Earlier this week, a missile hit in “close proximity” to a vessel transiting south of the Yemeni port city of Aden, UKMTO said.

The ship proceeded on its journey with no reports of casualties or damage, said the maritime agency.

The Joint Maritime Information Center identified the vessel as the Lila Lisbon, a Saint Kitts and Nevis-flagged bulk carrier.

“The vessel was not hit and all crew on board are safe,” said the agency overseen by the US Navy.

The United States in December announced a maritime security initiative to protect Red Sea shipping from Houthi attacks, which have forced commercial vessels to divert from the route that normally carries 12 percent of global trade.

Since January the US and Britain have also launched repeated strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen in response to the ship attacks.

On Thursday, US military forces destroyed one Houthi radar site in a rebel-run part of Yemen, US Central Command said on social media platform X.

The post Houthi Rebels Claim Attack on Ship off Yemen appeared first on The Defense Post.

American warships have spent a great deal of munitions to intercept Houthi drones and missiles targeting civilian and military ships in retaliation for Israel’s war in Gaza.

But the document seen by Axios claimed that while many Houthi attacks have missed their targets or been intercepted, the militant group appears undeterred.

“Houthi stockpiles appear nowhere near exhausted, even as sporadic US and UK strikes against them continue,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank.

The assessment is contrary to a previous statement by US Air Forces Central Commander Lt. Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, who said the Iran-backed rebels appeared to be running low on drones and anti-ship ballistic missiles.

He based this analysis on the lower frequency of Houthi attacks in the first quarter of 2024.

Costly Counter-Attacks

Earlier this year, Pentagon undersecretary for acquisition William LaPlante hinted that the cost of countering Houthi attacks in the Red Sea was increasing.

He said at a defense conference that efforts to take out hostile drones exceed $100,000 per shot.

Even the Yemeni group had mocked its American adversary, saying Washington is launching $2 million defense missiles to stop $2,000 Houthi drones.

Because of this, the US military is being urged to find alternative counter-attack solutions that only cost tens of thousands of dollars per shot.

Recent Attack

Last week, the Houthi group attacked a Liberian-flagged bulk cargo carrier traversing the Southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The strike killed a Filipino sailor and wounded another from Sri Lanka.

US National Security Advisor John Kirby said the vessel had just completed a port call in Russia and was bound for Egypt when the attack happened.

He also noted that the merchant vessels and their crew had “nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza.”

In response, the US military unleashed a wave of attacks targeting Houthi radar sites to disrupt its ability to track innocent cargo vessels.

The post US Has Spent $1B on Houthi Attacks But Militants’ Arsenal Unfazed: Intel appeared first on The Defense Post.