by Francesco Matera
Last Sunday, three American military helicopters effectively neutralized three Houthi boats that had attempted to attack a cargo ship. The White House thus wants to guarantee security on a strategic trade route, preventescalation and resist criticism from Congress that President Joe Biden has taken too soft a line.
The tension in the Red Sea is increasing hour by hour also because since the beginning of December one has appeared in the stretch of sea in question Iranian warship Alborz. The news agency Tasnim confirmed the news.
The Pentagon is currently evaluating some plans to gradually increase the military intervention, starting with the sinking of the small boats and then increasing the intensity with cruise missile raids, directly against the Houthi bases used for launching drones and anti-ship missile batteries. Any provocation in the stretch of sea threatened by the pro-Iranian group will therefore be addressed with a proportionate response, following the approach adopted in Syria and Iraq.
On the front of direct intervention in the Red Sea, France e Italy they have shown caution, intervening through the legal coverage of already existing military missions and with the sole aim of guaranteeing the safety of commercial navigation. On the contrary, the Britain it seems the most interventionist and determined to launch air attacks with its Royal Air Force (RAF).
The Yemeni rebel group, armed and financed by Iran, has meanwhile declared its intention to continue reprisals as long as Israel remains inside the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, in Gaza, a senior Hamas military commander, Adel Masmah, was killed in Deir el-Balah, in the southern sector of the Strip, in an Israeli air raid. Masmah, local commander of the elite Hamas unit called 'Nukbe', had personally led an incursion on 7 October into kibbutz Kissufim and sent two other 'Nukhbe' units against the nearby kibbutzim of Beeri and Nirim.
Hamas reiterated its position on the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, saying it would not happen before the fighting had completely stopped. However, the Israeli army has declared that the war against Hamas will continue throughout the year.
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