GreekReporter.comInternational NewsHouthis Enter Israel-Iran War, U.S. Marines Arrive in Middle East
Houthis Enter Israel-Iran War, U.S. Marines Arrive in Middle East
Iran-aligned Houthis have entered the Israel-Iran war, marking a further regional spread of the conflict as Yemen’s Houthi leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, said in a televised speech that his group would not hesitate to intervene militarily in support of Iran if required.
While Yemen had, until now, stayed out of this war, Houthi rebels launched a ballistic missile at Israel on Saturday, their first such attack since the Iran war began, and they warned that their operations would continue until “the aggression on all fronts ends.”
Israel-Iran war claims lives across Middle East as Houthis enter conflict
Now in its fifth week, the war that has so far spread across the Middle East, killing thousands, is forecast to last for at least another two to four weeks, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was quoted as saying.
While Israel and Iran continue to fire missiles against each other, with casualties on both sides, more loss of life is suffered in Lebanon, where Israel has attacked Hezbollah targets, as Iran strikes are reported in Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Oman and Kuwait.
Additionally, in recent weeks, the continuing conflict -which was intially estimated to last only a few days- has disrupted energy supplies worldwide, hit the global economy and fuelled inflation fears similar to the ones experienced in the first months of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The crisis has worsened following Iran’s move to shut down the critical Strait of Hormuz.
While the Strait remains closed, if the Houthis decide to start attacking Red Sea shipping, the effects on world economy and energy supplies could be dramatic; the group has shown an ability to strike targets far beyond Yemen and disrupt shipping lanes around the Arabian Peninsula and the Red Sea, as they have done in support of Hamas in Gaza after October 7, 2023, Reuters observes.
U.S. involvement in Israel-Iran war to last a further 2-4 weeks
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told G7 foreign ministers on Friday -albeit before the Houthis strikes- that the U.S. was “on or ahead of schedule” in the war and expects to conclude military operations in “weeks, not months”.
Sources told Axios that Rubio spoke to the G7 summit of a two to four week timeframe.
With regards to the shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz and its consequences, he told his counterparts that European and Asian countries which benefit from trade through the affected marine route should contribute to efforts to secure free passage.
“Our mission is clear. Iran will never obtain a nuclear weapon. In my meeting with the G7 foreign ministers, I reiterated that we must meet this moment with maximum partner contributions,” Rubio posted on X.
U.S. ground troops deployed to Middle East
Although in recent statements the U.S. Secretary of State argued that Washington could achieve its aims without ground troops, he acknowledged it was deploying some to the region “to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge.”.
The U.S. has dispatched two contingents of thousands of Marines to the region, the first of which is due to arrive in coming days on an amphibious assault ship. The Pentagon is also expected to deploy thousands of elite airborne soldiers, per Reuters, triggering fears that the world could see the Israel-Iran war turn into a ground battle.
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