Since January, there have already been four large scale US and British joint air strikes on Houthie targets in Yemen, including one hundred and fifty missiles and launchers, which appear to have done little to slow down the Houthis. The Houti missile attacks aimed at commercial vessels and US Navy ships have happened.
Almost daily, almost daily since our retaliation, and despite the President saying don't Also, as Martha Raddits reported on ABC News, yesterday, was the first time a Hoothy attack has killed anybody on those ships. Three crew members on a Liberian ship dead. The US is headed there with more help. I guess I don't know what we're going to do to slow this down. One of the most important shipping lanes in the entire.
World, A troubling number of hotspots around the globe, including that one Jack just mentioned. Let's talk about it with CNN military analyst Mike Lyons.
Mike, it's always a pleasure.
How are you taking one of you guys? Great to be back.
Well, so far our deterrence has not deterred anything.
What now, No, it's not really even deterrence. I know we're going after some of the targets there, and we've taken away a significant amount of their military capability, but they still seem to have enough to leak through. We saw the incident happening yesterday where three were killed, and we see the Indian Navy getting involved also in rescuing some of the members here. But for all practical purposes, that that pathways blocked, supply chains continue to be disrupted,
costs continue to climb. Other countries around the region remain affected, and until perhaps maybe other countries we'll put more pressure on them. But the hoot, these are wildcards, and they have this military capacity, and it's going to take us completely degrading its and our allies completely degrading it in order for us to, let's say, the Red Sea gets open again.
It sounds kind of old timey to be talking about this, but the free navigation of the ocean's waters has been one of the prime movers in history, and it seems like the global economy is not going to put up with this sort of interference with that forever. What would a serious response look.
Like, Well, I think that the way it's going. First of all, we saw a ship hit and we saw an oil leak, and we saw that that take place. But it's going it's likely taking impacting China, impacting uh other other economies. You know, this is not who these are claiming. This is against the United States and Israel. But you saw the nationalities on board of that ship that they attacked. It's Vietnamese, Sria, Lanka and philipp Filipino and uh more of you know kind of of the
you know Eastern you know, Asian countries there. What's that going to take It's it's likely you know more more or less these other these other third world countries deciding that they need they need to help from the US and and and real just leadership. You know, there's not a coalition really in there that's deciding to go after on a consistent basis every six hours, launching sorties in the air to destroy and go hunt down these ballistic
musle capability that the Houthis have. And because the downside is that they're hurting that country themselves. That Yemen is one of the most impoverished countries there as this as well. So there's just no upside to any of the situation right now.
Well, broadening out from just the Houthies. I don't know if you saw Tom Friedman's call them in the New York Times. He is over in the Middle East for about a week reporting and and all these different groups that are backed by Iran and him specifically saying backed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and Tom Friedman stated that we might say we're not at war with them, but the Revolutionary Guard feels like they're at war with us.
Yeah, no question, And we saw we've seen some of the attacks on the land based forces inside of Iraq and Syria diminish. But what I'd like to see us do. There's there's an Iranian navigation ship that's in the area there that's likely what the Hoothies are using for intel collection and spotting and the like, and they're they're aligned with them in order to be successful with their missions. So we warn the Iranians once again, if that doesn't stop, we're going to put that ship to the bottom of
the sea. And we've done that in the past when all Reagan did that in the nineteen eighties. But again, this administration just does not want to admit any kind of conflict with Iran. I know what we're holding out for because they continue to push nuclear capability down the road, and that's the future conflict. That's what's getting kicked. That's the can getting kicked down the road. Here is this conflict between ITSUD and Iran, and when once the Ranians have that nuclear capability.
Yeah, I don't want to get into a shot after shot at the lack of leadership from the Biden administration. But I was about to turn to the increasing belligerence of China, especially Visa VI the Philippines ramming their boats and blasting their sailors with water cannons, and we are bound to defend the Philippines if they are attacked. You would think you would want to nip this in the bud.
Yeah, this administration history is going to show that it just doesn't have any priority. And they'll try to claim that everything is a priority, but we all know when that's the case and nothing is a priority. I don't really know what it is. It's the whip sawing of the Israeli government. For example, we tell them they're over the top, and then we don't necessarily pride them the military assets to get some of that humanitarian aid. Same
thing that's happening in China. We've kind of drawn this line there of not defending our allies in the region. I think they're really concerned about that. And then everything's a half measure when it comes to all these other acts of deterrence, and what's happening still in Ukraine remains a situation there that you know, I think ninety two hundred and twenty days, as they run out of artillery ammunition, they're firing it in a faster rate that we can
resupply and the rest of the world can. So if the United States doesn't get and show leadership internally and get that situation resolved, I think you know that that's going to go downhill very quickly too. So there's just no priority from this administration. We won't We'll hear us say of the Union tonight. We'll find out maybe something, But everything's a half measure, and the whip sawing going back and forth. I think that's what history is going to show us administration.
Speaking of Ukraine, a Russian missile hits one hundred yards away from Zelensky yesterday. You think they were targeting him specifically or just a coincidence.
No, I think coincidence, But still that target and Odessa. There is the next you know, kind of strategic you know, a targeting at Russia. But we'll make right now, as they're going to continue as they've seen gains now on the land going to the north and to the east, what they'll try to do is spread their influence along that coastline. And no Deasa is that last city, that's the only one really the Ukraine, it's kind of held on. It's the only way they will have any commerce when
this is over. And so Russia now attacking that. I think it's more coincidence. But again, let's say, you know, the Greek prime minister is killed and something like this, then what happens then? Then what happens to the rest of the world. As we go here, you're seeing more anger from Europe. You saw the French president potentially talking about NATO countries going and individual countries going on. I'm not sure where what that was all about. But but
nobody really puts their money with their mouth. That's just yet, and a lot of it this doesn't have a lot of a lot of it is about capability. Only one country that can really save the day here, and that's a sixty billion dollar backstop from the United States. That doesn't send money to Ukraine. But what it does is it allows Ukraine to buy from the US arsenal and helps American jobs. So there's a win win in that environment toomped the bottom.
I think it's notable and worth mentioning that if you were to ask the European countries will putin emboldened to go further. They're unanimously a guess, but there seems to be a lot of skepticism in the States.
Jack.
You have more on Ukraine with Mike CNN military analyst Mike Lyons on the line. Mike, I wanted to segue to Israel real quickly and putting aside morality or how palatable any of this is. Just from a historians perspective, this looks like when you combine what's going on with Gaza to the Israeli settlements are expanding in the West Bank, just the nature of the way the war is being conducted.
This is one civilization saying we can no longer live within us, another one at least with any power right next door to us. This is something like total warfare.
I think so, and we're both sides talking past each other, and when the US continues to talk about rules based orders and two state solutions. I mean those that's gone. That's not happening, and it's real. It's not stopping until they find an Hamas leader or somebody that stands up and says, we surrender, and these are the conditions, and this is how it's going to go forward. There. They're not going to put up with anything less than that, as we're seeing, and until other Arab nations decide to
get involved. And they don't care if the conflict spreads and goes a little further, if it's going to take every last Palestinian, that's what their that's what their mentality is, and so it is. It is total war from their perspective, and they're going to They're doing what they can in order to keep civilian casualties at a minimum. But as long as the mosqu keeps hiding behind civilians and hiding
things in hospitals, I don't see them. They're not stopping again until they get some kind of surrender.
Military analyst Mike lines, Mike, thanks a Milian for the time. Really interesting. We appreciate it.
Thanks guy, Thanks for me.
Armstrong and Getty