The US military said on Monday it destroyed air defense and drone systems of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi forces in the area of the Red Sea, with no injuries or damage to commercial, US and coalition ships.
The US Central Command said on X its forces had destroyed an air defense system with two missiles ready to launch, a ground control station in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and one unmanned aerial system launched by the Houthis from Yemen over the Red Sea.
Houthi forces in Yemen said on Sunday they had launched rockets and drones at British, US and Israeli ships, the latest in a campaign of attacks on shipping in support of Palestinians in the Gaza war.
The US Central Command said on Sunday, an anti-ship ballistic missile was launched from a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen toward the Gulf of Aden where also no injuries or damage were reported by US, coalition or commercial ships.
Houthi attacks have disrupted global shipping through the Suez Canal, forcing firms to re-route to longer and more expensive journeys around southern Africa. The United States and Britain have launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthi militants, who control the most populous parts of Yemen, call their action a response to Israel's military operations in Gaza and a show of solidarity to Palestinians. The attacks began after Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei called on Muslims in early November to blockade Israel.
Israel's assault on Gaza has killed more than 33,000 people according to the local health ministry and displaced nearly the entire population of 2.3 million. Israel says a large part of the casualties were Hamas fighters.
The Israeli offensive began after Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' Oct 7 attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
With reporting by Reuters
The alleged condition for Iran’s restraint? A ceasefire in Gaza.
That report by Jadeh Iran – unconfirmed by Iran International – is now circulating not just on social media, but has landed in the pages of Israeli news outlets.
Notably, the Iranian regime’s own propaganda media outlets are also giving it credence, including semi-official ILNA and Shahre Khabar.
But, who does this narrative serve? And, where is the original report coming from?
It’s true, the Biden administration, increasingly under pressure to find a solution to Israel’s relentless pounding of Gaza, would certainly benefit from a ceasefire – not in the least at home where several polls show a difficult road ahead for President Joe Biden campaign to hold-on to another term against Donald Trump.
On Iran’s side – desperate to get sanctions relief and already embroiled in multiple of its proxy wars in the region – the regime would do well by refraining from retaliating against Israel – and drawing less anger from the US.
In fact, that alleged report, citing only one Arabic diplomatic source, suggested that "If America succeeds in containing the situation, it will be a great success for the Biden administration and we can build on that".
Kuwaiti-based Al Jarida has since cited a source in the Iranian Foreign Ministry claiming that Washington’s latest proposal to Tehran – though a Swiss mediator – is offering direct negotiations with Tel Aviv to reach an understanding, aiming to de-escalate tensions in the region.
Some Iranians on social media meanwhile, quickly reacted to the report suggesting that the report is likely regime propaganda masking the fact that Tehran lacks the courage to retaliate against Israel.
Who is behind the media outlet “Jadeh Iran”?
Written by Ali Hashem, the Arabic piece in the web-based outlet “Jadeh Iran” paints the picture of Tehran in a dilemma between wanting to preserve its dignity after the Damascus attack – and avoiding escalating tensions in the Middle East and with that warning the US against falling into Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's “trap” and seeking a ceasefire in Gaza as a condition for de-escalation.
Hashem, who describes himself as founder of Jadeh Iran also appears to work for Al Jazeera – long known for its pro-Iranian regime propaganda.
When looking on Jadeh Iran’s official Instagram page and the accounts it follows, you will find personalities like: Former Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, Seyyed Ali Khomeini, Al Jazeera reporters – and plenty of Iranian regime propaganda pages.
Meanwhile, Israel says it has withdrawn troops from southern Gaza for “tactical reasons” – with no indication that this is connected to the alleged report by Jadeh Iran.
Iran’s Retaliation After Killing Of Soleimani
When it comes to Iran’s retaliation, it is hard to predict how the regime will respond.
Over 4 years after the IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani was killed by a US drone strike in Iraq – Tehran maintains it is still seeking to avenge his death.
But, Iran did carry out what it saw as retaliation at the time, just 5 days after Soleimani’s assassination in January 2020.
It launched over 12 ballistic missiles at the al-Asad Airbase in western Iraq, as well as another airbase in Erbil. Notably, Iran reportedly did inform the Iraqi government of an imminent attack shortly beforehand.
No US service members were killed in the attacks, but about 110 did suffer traumatic brain injuries, mainly concussions – leading to much mockery by Iranian dissidents, who joked that Iran’s promised “harsh revenge” merely resulted in the “headaches” of US soldiers.
Iran however, was anticipating a counter-response from the US – but inexplicably made the decision not to close its airspace to civilian flights.
On the same day, just a few hours later, the regime’s IRGC shot down a passenger flight taking off from Tehran headed for Ukraine. Flight PS752 was hit with two surface-to-air missiles, killing all 176 people onboard – including 138 Iranians with ties to Canada.
