Posted on 04/01/2015 10:38:15 AM PDT by Corky Boyd
The Israeli intelligence blog Debka File reports that pro-Iranian Houthi troops have taken over control of the strategic straits (Bab el-Mandeb) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. This choke point threatens all commercial and military maritime traffic from the oil rich nations bound for the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean.
"Control of the Red Sea Bab el-Mandeb Straits passed Tuesday, March 31 to pro-Iranian Yemeni forces when the Yemeni Army’s 117th Brigade loyal to the former Yemeni President Ali Saleh handed positions guarding the waterway to two Houthi commando battalions trained by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. This is revealed by debkafile’s military and intelligence sources."
The article goes on to say Iran is sending naval forces to the Straits to reinforce and protect the Houthis from an anticipated Egyptian/Saudi effort to dislodge them. This could provide the first direct military confrontation between the Saudis and Iran, who up to now has operated only through surrogates.
(Excerpt) Read more at islandturtle.blogspot.com ...
I really doubt that this is true, but if it is, these Houtis are one heartbeat of away of seeing 72 Virgins.
I thought that EGypt anticipated this and have their navy there.
OTOH, if this is true, all he*l is about to break loose.
Well, if Iran gives a naval base to the Russia at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, I’m sure that won’t complicate things.
April fools. It would.
Yemen’s Houthis enter base on Bab el-Mandeb strait: officials
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/03/31/us-yemen-security-base-idUSKBN0MR29H20150331
Fighters from Yemen’s Houthi militia on Tuesday entered a coastal military base overlooking the Red Sea’s strategic Bab el-Mandeb strait, local officials told Reuters.
Soldiers of the 17th Armored Division in the Dabab district in Yemen’s southwestern Taiz province opened the gates to the Houthis, whose military advance has been challenged by six days of Saudi-led air strikes.
I thought the Egyptians already took control of this last week. Where did I read that? Obviously, not at Debka.
What this article doesn’t mention is that Israel has a naval port at Eilat in the Gulf of Aqaba (which pours into the Red Sea). Bibi isn’t going to take kindly to being hemmed in by a bunch of raving Houtis.
Entire article:
W e d n e s d a y , A p r i l 1 , 2 0 1 5
Corky Boyd at 1:15 PM
Control of southern entrance to the Red Sea the next Mid-East flashpoint
The Israeli intelligence blog Debka File reports that pro-Iranian Houthi troops have taken over control of the strategic straits (Bab el-Mandeb) at the southern entrance to the Red Sea. This choke point threatens all commercial and military maritime traffic from the oil rich nations bound for the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean.
Control of the Red Sea Bab el-Mandeb Straits passed Tuesday, March 31 to pro-Iranian Yemeni forces when the Yemeni Army’s 117th Brigade loyal to the former Yemeni President Ali Saleh handed positions guarding the waterway to two Houthi commando battalions trained by Iranian Revolutionary Guards. This is revealed by debkafile’s military and intelligence sources.
The article goes on to say Iran is sending naval forces to the Straits to reinforce and protect the Houthis from an anticipated Egyptian/Saudi effort to dislodge them. This could provide the first direct military confrontation between the Saudis and Iran, who up to now has operated only through surrogates.
On another front, the same article states unknown aircraft (possibly Egyptian or Israeli) attacked a weapons depot in southwest Libya that held Iranian supplied munitions destined for Hamas in Gaza.
In another development Tuesday involving Iran’s spreading tentacles, debkafile’s military sources reveal that unidentified aircraft bombed Burak, a small military base in the Fezzan province of southwestern Libya, which serves Iran as a transit store for arms purchased in Sudan for the Palestinian Hamas. The weapons, which recently reached the Libyan base through Chad, were destroyed.
At the heart of all this mess is Iran. Yet the US continues to treat them as a friendly nation in the nuclear talks. The administration exhibits a willful blindness to Iran’s aggression. It will come back to haunt us.
Two words: Iranian missiles. Anything along the coastline is a chokepoint.
Didn’t EGYPT try this back in 1967 against Israel? It was considered an act of war.
Very big deal if true.
That capability already exist at the Strait of Hormuz, a far bigger choke point. Although I’m sure Iran would like more control, I’m not sure they are really willing to force that hand. The majority of the other countries in the area have already demonstrated a willingness to work together, with Saudi leading.
Egypt and Saudis are running blockades on two port cities. Located north and south of this chokepoint. This was a military base at the actual chokepoint. Not sure what capabilities or hardware they have there. Obviously the Iranians wanted this facility.
I wonder if these are the same Iranian naval forces that they sent to the east coast of the U.S.?
Wrong body of water. Egypt cut off access to the Gulf of Aqaba.
Nine years ago, the Hezzies hit INS Hanit with a Chinese C-802 missile. The Iranians provided the tech support. So there’s some history of using proxies there.
bump
Hamas bump...how soon people forget
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