Bashirov spoke about the consequences of US and British missile attacks on Yemen

On the night of January 12, the military of the United States and Great Britain launched a series of missile attacks on the cities of Northern Yemen, which is under the control of the Houthis. Washington said the strikes hit more than 60 targets at 16 sites. We talked about what consequences this could have with Marat Bashirov, a political scientist and professor at the Department of Interaction between Business and Government at the Higher School of Economics.

“The Houthi military forces are unconventional,” says professor Marat Bashirov. — On the one hand, they have long-range missile systems, including those for hitting naval targets. On the other hand, they do not have military bases as such. They have largely adopted the model of armed resistance from Hamas in Gaza. This means that all weapons are dispersed, they are constantly transported and much is stored underground. The Americans’ goal is to destroy missile depots. It would seem that underground warehouses can be identified, but we must take into account that there are quite a lot of them.

Why the Americans got involved in all this, as the expert says, is generally understandable.

“First of all, this is, of course, their relegation from the pedestal of the world’s policeman, who must guarantee safe maritime transportation. In the United States, all naval bases are located along maritime transport corridors.

The first signal for them was the Sudanese pirates who were robbing ships.

“But everything was simpler there, because the motive was different. There were criminal organizations, and not very numerous ones. Accordingly, they were easy to deal with. But with the Houthis, everything is much more complicated. (Previously, the Houthis stated that all ships that, in their opinion, are associated with Israel or its allies will become a legitimate target. – Author). Yemen is a country of 30 million people. There are about 9 million people who sympathize with the Houthi movement. It has now become known that the Yemeni authorities have announced mobilization. There are several million people who can first pick up small arms.

As the professor says, the Americans and British are not considering options for a ground invasion. Today this is simply impossible.

“At the same time, we know that the Houthi movement is Iranian proxy troops. And, accordingly, now it will be important to look at Iran’s actions. They have already withdrawn their reconnaissance ship from the southern sector of the Red Sea. Let’s see how much intelligence information the Houthis now have in order to continue launching warning strikes on commercial ships. There are few of them left there. Tankers do not sail at all, and dry cargo ships are at very high risk.

The expert clarifies that if the Houthis launch missile attacks on US warships or commercial ships in the coming days, this will show that a one-time strike against the Houthis is not enough. And the Americans will already have to get involved in a longer military conflict.

— Let’s be honest that this conflict plays into the hands of both Russia and China. Everything that happens in the Middle East is a serious distraction from the Ukrainian conflict. The Americans are also interested in prolonging the conflict in the Middle East. Thus, they deal another blow to the economy of the European Union. That is, the cost of transportation is rising. The logistics of ships traveling from Southeast Asia to Europe are difficult, putting European industrial and commercial enterprises in a very difficult situation. And everything that goes and floats from Southeast Asia to the United States should be calm. There are no Houthis there, there is only the Pacific Ocean. Americans – they always think about money first.

— Do the Houthis have a large stockpile of missiles?

– They have a huge number of missiles, because they have their own production. Although both the Israelis and the Americans two days ago blew up several ships in an Iranian port, which were allegedly carrying components for missiles to the Houthis. But this is a one-time story. You can’t destroy everything.

According to the professor, missile attacks on Yemen will create a completely new situation in the world. The next ten days will show in which direction this conflict will develop.

“Islamic countries now find themselves in a very difficult situation. The Houthis in Yemen are the only ones who, not in words, but in deeds, in military actions, opposed the colonialist model of behavior of Israel and the United States. This presented the rest of the Islamic world with a choice – religious and value-based. It was also possible to remain silent because of Palestine, because of Gaza. But now the situation is changing. It is clear why Saudi Arabia, which has already spoken out that it is against escalation, will remain silent. This is a soft version of the statement. We must wait for the reaction of other Islamic countries. Still, the Houthis are only part of the Yemeni people. They have seized power, but not all Yemenis sympathize with or are members of the Houthi movement.

Marat Bashirov draws attention to the fact that it was Russia that appointed an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council in connection with US strikes on Yemen.

“We will say that inciting a big war in the Middle East is a dangerous step on the part of the Americans and the British. The Houthis have launched a blockade of the Red Sea, demanding that Israel stop its aggressive actions in the Gaza Strip. If the Americans had persuaded the Israelis to stop, then the Houthis would have lifted this blockade. Everyone understands the logic of these events. The Americans did not persuade Israel, the question arises: can’t or don’t want to? Therefore, Russia will raise the issue at the UN Security Council in this context.

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