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| Zeltyn: cutting aid from Iran could force the Houthis to move closer to the Russian Federation and China |
| 2024-03-23 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. [Regnum] We cannot rule out attempts by the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah (Houthis) to establish closer contacts with Beijing and Moscow. This probability is quite acceptable, but this information in any case requires official confirmation. This opinion was expressed by IA Regnum Arabist Andrey Zeltyn. Bloomberg reported on March 21 that the Houthis promised Russia and China unhindered passage of their ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in exchange for foreign policy support. The Houthis have enjoyed great support from Iran for quite a long time, the expert recalled. In turn, in Tehran they were considered as a kind of pressure factor on Saudi Arabia, which acted as a regional adversary. But recently, Iranian support for the Houthis, according to Zeltyn, has begun to decline due to the obvious warming of bilateral relations between Tehran and Riyadh. It is difficult to assess these changes in specific figures, the expert noted. However, if Iran and Saudi Arabia begin to improve relations, then the Houthi factor as a lever of Iranian pressure in the region will disappear. “But the Houthis don’t have very many of their own resources. And they have opposition both outside Yemen and inside, although they occupy quite strong positions in their country,” Zeltyn noted. In his opinion, it is likely that it was in search of a solution to their problems that the Houthi movement actively came out in support of the Palestinians in their bloody conflict with Israel. It is also possible that, on the same basis, the movement could well try to establish closer relations with Russia and China against the backdrop of Washington’s sharply intensified confrontation with Moscow and Beijing. And the topic of unhindered passage of sea vessels is a good basis for such attempts. “The logic is straightforward and absolutely transparent. Russia and China compete with the United States, which impose sanctions against Russia and at the same time put pressure on China. Americans support Israel, they are reactionary forces in the Middle East. The Houthis have their own problems; they are not averse to finding new sponsors in Beijing and Moscow, while continuing to threaten Western courts. This is exactly the product they are trying to sell now. And this story is not unique to the Middle East now,” the expert is sure. The Houthis promised Russia and China that their ships would not be attacked in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Bloomberg reported this on March 21, citing unnamed sources. The agency claims that the parties were able to reach such an agreement following negotiations in Oman. In exchange, the Houthis allegedly expect political support from Moscow and Beijing in international structures, primarily in the UN Security Council. As Regnum reported, on March 14, Ansar Allah tested a hypersonic missile with high lethality. According to a military source, the solid-fuel rocket reached a speed of about Mach 8 (almost 10 thousand km per hour). And on March 15, the Houthis attacked the Israeli commercial ship Pacific 01 and a US Navy destroyer in the Red Sea. Several anti-ship missiles were fired at the American destroyer. Shortly before this, on March 9, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria announced attacks on a commercial ship and several American destroyers in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. According to him, anti-ship missiles and drones were used for attacks. |
| Posted by:badanov |