Mary Jardine-Clarke on LinkedIn: U.S. forces destroy swarm of drones and missiles launched by Houthis | 17 comments
"Driving the news: U.S. Central Command said U.S. fighter jets and a warship shot down a dozen suicide drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two… | 17 comments on LinkedIn
LinkedInMary Jardine-Clarke

"'Driving the news: U.S. Central Command said U.S. fighter jets and a warship shot down a dozen suicide drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles over a 10-hour period on Tuesday.
They were downed by the USS Laboon and F/A-18 Super Hornets from the Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group. CENTCOM added that there was no damage to ships in the area or reported injuries." (Jacob Knutson, AXIOS, 28/12/2023)

Given that Yemen is supposed to be in a state of post-civil war destruction, and is dependent on UN funding to feed its poor, cholera stricken, starving and thirsty population; and with no weapons manufacturing capability, it beggars belief that on Tuesday the USN shot down a 'dozen suicide drones, three anti-ship ballistic missiles and two cruise missiles over a 10-hour period' from Yemen aimed at international commercial and naval vessels.

Clearly these are being supplied to Yemen - most likely by Iran with Russian facilitation. It is time to prove beyond doubt where these supplies are coming from and who is paying for them.

The Houthis have no money to buy them. They are just being set up to fire them because Iran won't - because they are afraid of US retribution. It is now time to stop this charade and have the confrontation.

It is of enormous public interest and to the secure operation of international commercial shipping and maritime insurance, to understand where these weapons are coming from and how they are being delivered to the Houthis. It would be highly appropriate to know if the US is able to recover any of the drones or missile fragments so that it can be proven as to where they have come from. This should then be confronted by international legal avenues, sanctions applied, and production facilities neutralized wherever they are found.

Ultimately there is little point for international naval patrols to spend taxpayer dollars to shoot down drones with expensive missiles fired from FA18 Hornets or powerful aircraft carriers - if the source of the problem is not addressed. With international munitions production compromised by wars in Ukraine, Israel and now Yemen - the costs and the case is becoming clearer as to how urgent it is to cut the head off of this snake and be effective on all fronts to eliminate this vicious terrorism from the Middle East region and beyond."