Above photo: A member of the Iraqi’s Popular Mobilization Forces (Hashed al-Shaabi) stands guard during the funeral of the 16 members killed in US airstrikes, February 2024. Ameer Al-Mohammedawi / AP.
NOTE: The Cradle reports that the US Navy has not fought a battle like the one in the Red Sea since World War II and that the US is having difficulties countering the attacks:
The commander of Washington’s USS Carney warship and other crewmembers described to CBS News in an interview on 30 June their experience in dealing with Yemeni attacks on southern Israel during the onset of the war in Gaza.
“We started getting indications that there was possibly some sort of attack coming from the south towards Israel,” said one of the lieutenants, Dennis Morral.
“I think it was anywhere from 25 to 35 UAVs and land attack cruise missiles had been launched, and some of them were headed up the Red Sea. We picked up the very first one-way attack UAV on our system approximately 60 or 70 miles away from us,” said Commander Jeremy Robertson.
The USS Carney intercepted several missiles and drones that came within its range. CBS News describes the interceptions as “the American shots fired in defense of Israel.”
“Whether or not they would have actually made it to Israel is unknown, but they certainly were a long way from home, and there were certainly a lot of them,” Robertson added.
When asked if any US navy warship had ever fought a battle like this before, the commander responded, “Not since World War II. It’s been a really long time.”
“You’re looking at something that’s coming at you at Mach 5, Mach 6. The watch standers have anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds to engage,” Robertson said, referring to the speed at which the Yemeni projectiles were fired.
He also said that million-dollar missiles were fired to intercept drones worth a few thousand each.
“By the time the Carney headed home [in May after a seven-month voyage], the Red Sea was still not safe,” CBS News wrote.
The Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), known as Ansar Allah in the West and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, initiated joint military operations against Israel early last month. This marks a significant strategic shift, highlighting the support for Palestinian armed groups in Gaza from regional forces. Despite the significance of these operations, their nature has remained largely unclear. However, MintPress has obtained exclusive details shedding light on these developments.
These joint operations represent a new phase in the regional dynamics of the conflict, emphasizing the evolving alliances and military strategies against Israel. The exclusive details provided by MintPress reveal the intricacies and coordination involved in these operations, illustrating the complex nature of regional military engagements.
On June 6, a significant development unfolded as the Islamic Resistance in Iraq issued a communique and Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF), announced a joint Yemeni-Iraqi military operation against Israeli targets. This coordinated effort was executed in two stages. The first stage involved a series of drone attacks on two ships reportedly carrying weapons to the Israeli-controlled port of Haifa. The second stage targeted a ship that violated the Ansar Allah-imposed blockade in the Red Sea, which restricts shipments to Haifa.
As this initial joint operation spanned the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, the announcement was interpreted as Iraqi and Yemeni forces coordinating the timing of actions they had previously conducted separately. However, subsequent military operations began to paint a different picture. Communiques detailing operations that exclusively targeted sites in Haifa raised key questions about the nature of the collaboration between both parties, suggesting a more integrated and strategic partnership than previously understood.
While there have been no reports indicating that Ansar Allah’s missiles have traveled from Yemen to hit targets in northern occupied Palestine, it has become clear that the collaborative effort between the Islamic Resistance in Iraq and Yemen is taking place at a higher level than previously anticipated. This suggests a more sophisticated and coordinated approach between the two forces, indicating a strategic alliance that goes beyond mere timing coordination of separate actions.
According to three high-ranking Ansar Allah officials who chose to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of the story, MintPress has learned that coordination between Yemeni and Iraqi forces takes place in a specially designed “joint operations room.” This room has an “exchange of roles to ensure the implementation of successful deterrent attacks against vital facilities in Haifa.” This setup indicates a higher level of strategic collaboration and planning between the forces to maximize the effectiveness of their military operations.
The three Ansar Allah officials, who are high-ranking in military, political, and logistics fields, revealed that Yemen’s role in the operations targeting Haifa extends beyond implementation to include logistical, practical, manufacturing, and intelligence aspects. MintPress was informed that these operations aim to reunite and rearrange the region’s geography and inspire Arab unification after a long period of division.
A separate source within the Palestinian resistance, who maintains close ties with Ansar Allah, informed MintPress that discussions had occurred regarding the possibility of introducing Yemeni ground forces to an Arab nation that would permit them to open a direct front against Israel. Ansar Allah officials stated that Yemen is ready to send fighters to any Arab country to defeat Israel, liberate Palestinian lands, or defend that nation, but did not confirm any specific discussions had taken place.
In the last week of June, four attacks were carried out from Iraq that Ansar Allah claimed involvement in, including strikes on Haifa, the Dead Sea, and Eilat using loitering munitions, also known as suicide drones.
In response to recent Israeli threats of an “all-out war” against Lebanon, Abu Alaa al-Wala’i, Secretary-General of Iraq’s Sayyid al-Shuhada Brigades, warned Tel Aviv that Iraqi forces would fight Israel “from zero distance” on the ground. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed concerns that militias in Iraq and Syria might open ground fronts and target Jordan, raising questions about possible direct fighting and the involvement of Yemeni forces.
In March, Yemen’s armed forces conducted a series of drills under the banner “Our Path Leads to al-Quds,” where fighters simulated storming the Naqab (Negev) desert, taking control of settlements around Dimona, and seizing Israeli military sites. Similar videos have been released by Popular Mobilization Unit (PMU) aligned groups in Iraq, showcasing ground operation simulations. While these drills might seem performative, the fact that these forces routinely conduct missile and drone attacks against Israeli targets suggests that these simulations could be genuine preparations for ground assaults.