Chinese Media: Houthi Actions Astonishing, Their Capabilities Unimaginable Before

NYN | Reports and analyses:

Chinese media has described the results of operations carried out by the Sana’a Government Forces against Israeli, American, and British shipping in the Red Sea as astonishing. They noted that the Sana’a forces have acquired advanced weapons and capabilities previously unimaginable.

Chinese websites published an analytical article by Chinese writer Cheng Hui, titled “It’s Not the Taiwan Strait That Hurts Them, But the Red Sea! Houthis Announce the Results of Their Attacks, No Wonder the U.S. Aircraft Carrier Left.” He began by saying, “Recently, we have noticed that the Houthis in Yemen announced some results of the attacks they carried out on the Red Sea shipping line,” adding, “During the operations, they used a total of 372 drones and 26 unmanned attack boats. Additionally, they had 139 ballistic missiles, 10 cruise missiles, and 10 anti-ship missiles.”

He noted, “These weapons sank two commercial ships belonging to Britain and Greece. Additionally, at least 30 commercial ships were damaged to varying degrees, and two other commercial ships were directly detained.”

He considered these “astonishing results” for several reasons: “Firstly, in terms of weapons: a local organization, with a force numbering only a few hundred thousand, possesses ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which was previously unimaginable. Especially ballistic missiles, which require the capability to reach outside the atmosphere and return accurately to hit the target.”

He explained, “To use these missiles, there must be a precise communication and navigation system, something that the vast majority of countries around the world do not possess, let alone the Houthis.”

“Secondly, in terms of results: we must know that the United States launched a multinational maritime protection operation and even sent the aircraft carrier Eisenhower. Meaning these Houthi attacks occurred under the Americans’ watch. It is extremely rare for a local organization to dare to confront a superpower in this way. In less than a month, the Houthis announced that they attacked the aircraft carrier Eisenhower three times. Previously, if any organization or country dared to challenge America this way, the United States would have launched a major attack.”

The Chinese analyst continued, “But the surprise was that the Americans did not take strong measures after the Houthis announced their attacks on the aircraft carrier and did not carry out any major military operations against the Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. They only conducted joint maneuvers with the Italian navy in mid-June in the middle of the Red Sea as a show with the intact aircraft carrier Eisenhower. On June 22, the Houthis announced again that they attacked the aircraft carrier Eisenhower, and this time the Americans did not comment much, but on the same day, they withdrew the aircraft carrier to the north, heading to the port.”

He considered that the departure of the American aircraft carrier Eisenhower “in this miserable way, despite the Americans’ claim that this move was part of a regular repositioning, at this time is tantamount to implicit recognition of failure in front of the world and shows that the Houthis have delivered three severe blows to the Americans. Thus, the United States has lost its prestige in the Middle East.”

The Chinese analyst said, “When we see the results of the Houthis’ attacks: it seems that the American carrier can no longer bear to stay. Although the carrier group was in the Red Sea for a few months and claimed to intercept more than 80% of the Houthi attacks, the reality is that the volume of transportation through the Red Sea shipping lines has decreased by 90%, and the Houthis control the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, all under the Americans’ eyes. Clearly, the Americans realized that the situation in the Middle East is no longer under their control.”

“Globally, especially in the context of great power competition, the United States has been trying to control the situation in the Taiwan Strait to increase pressure on China. But now, for the United States: it is not the Taiwan Strait that hurts, but the Red Sea! The so-called American control over the Taiwan Strait has not really affected us, while in the Middle East, in the Red Sea, things are getting out of their control completely! It is clear that this superpower is gradually retreating in the competition of great powers.”

Regarding rumors that the United States will send the aircraft carrier Roosevelt to replace the Eisenhower, Cheng Hui added that the Roosevelt is currently in Busan, South Korea, and is scheduled to conduct joint exercises with the Japanese and South Korean air and naval forces starting June 26, aiming to pressure North Korea. These exercises may include areas in the Sea of Japan.

He concluded, “From the South China Sea to the Sea of Japan, and then to the Red Sea: it seems that the Roosevelt aircraft carrier is working non-stop this year, and from this detail, we can feel that this superpower is facing great challenges in deploying and using aircraft carriers. They are unable to handle multiple strategic fronts at once, and these intense movements may not save their declining influence in the Middle East and other parts of the world.”