Houthi Red Sea Blockade

[Kirkhill]

Both of which were 40+ years ago and not really relevant to today.

Or, if you take the Arab perspective, it was half way through a 75 year engagement.

I would wager that the Israelis rate Entebbe and Osirak on the same scale as the Six Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the 1948 War, 1982, and October 7th.

Edit - a more complete list of Israeli activity

List of Israel Defense Forces operations - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[brihard]

View attachment 81985
11 hr 5 min (1,044.9 km) via Route 1

Operation Opera - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

View attachment 81986

72 hr (4,637.1 km) via Kampala - Gulu Hwy

Entebbe raid - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The Israelis have form.

Sure, they could probably do the route with a modest quantity of forces or of ordnance delivered. But Quirky is - I think - referring to Israel stomping the Houthis with a major bombing campaign, and that this would somehow open up the Red Sea. This is farcical.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Serious question, what's stopping the US from parking some boats off the coast of Yemen and just smashing launch sites when they target a cargo ship? I don't see Iran in a hurry to go toe-to-toe with the US.

 

[brihard]

Serious question, what's stopping the US from parking some boats off the coast of Yemen and just smashing launch sites when they target a cargo ship? I don't see Iran in a hurry to go toe-to-toe with the US.

Probably depends on the type of munitions fired, if they’re detected right at launch or if the launch site can be extrapolated fast enough, and if there’s still anything there worth hitting by the time shots could be put on target. If they’re vehicle launched from some ways inland, that may not be the case.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

Serious question, what's stopping the US from parking some boats off the coast of Yemen and just smashing launch sites when they target a cargo ship? I don't see Iran in a hurry to go toe-to-toe with the US.

Balls.........

 

[Kirkhill]

Sure, they could probably do the route with a modest quantity of forces or of ordnance delivered. But Quirky is - I think - referring to Israel stomping the Houthis with a major bombing campaign, and that this would somehow open up the Red Sea. This is farcical.

I agree that an extended campaign is unreasonable - as is the likelihood of anybody cratering anybody - but a long range raid is not out of the question.

 

[brihard]

I agree that an extended campaign is unreasonable - as is the likelihood of anybody cratering anybody - but a long range raid is not out of the question.

Right, but a raid on, say, a reactor is VERY different from trying to crush a political and military enemy with a sustained bombing campaign.

 

[Kirkhill]

As to modest quantity of ordnance?

Strike

F-15 Eagle	United States	multirole	F-15 A/C	84[74]
F-15E Strike Eagle	United States	strike fighter	F-15I	25[75]
F-16 Fighting Falcon	United States	multirole	F-16C/I	175[75]
F-35 Lightning II	United States	stealth multirole	F-35I	39[76]	A total of 75 ordered[77]

Strike Trainers

F-15 Eagle	United States	conversion trainer	F-15 B/D	18[75]
F-16 Fighting Falcon	United States	conversion trainer	F-16D	49[75]

Transport
Super King Air	United States	utility / transport	B200	4[75]	two provide multi-engine training
C-130 Hercules	United States	transport / SAR	C-130E/H	6[75]
C-130J Super Hercules	United States	tactical airlift	C-130J-30	7[75]

Tanker
Boeing 707	United States	aerial refueling		7[75]
KC-46 Pegasus	United States	aerial refueling / transport			4 on order[80]
KC-130 Hercules	United States	aerial refueling / transport	KC-130H	4[75]

The also have an interesting assortment of homegrown cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and UAVs

 

[Kirkhill]

Right, but a raid on, say, a reactor is VERY different from trying to crush a political and military enemy with a sustained bombing campaign.

How many launch sites are the Houthi using? How many factories and warehouses do they have?

Ukraine's problem is that they don't have the platforms and munitions to reach deep enough into the Russian supply network. And the Russians have lots of nodes that need to be hit.

The Israelis don't lack for weapons and I doubt the Houthi have a very robust supply chain.

 

[brihard]

How many launch sites are the Houthi using? How many factories and warehouses do they have?

Ukraine's problem is that they don't have the platforms and munitions to reach deep enough into the Russian supply network. And the Russians have lots of nodes that need to be hit.

The Israelis don't lack for weapons and I doubt the Houthi have a very robust supply chain.

No idea, we’re way too far into speculation to say at this point.

 

[Kirkhill]

No idea, we’re way too far into speculation to say at this point.

Agreed.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

How many launch sites are the Houthi using? How many factories and warehouses do they have?

The Houthi don't have a robust industry and supply chain. They can't afford to lose to many of their assets. Hitting a couple of launch sites might be enough to send back to make idle threats again.

 

[suffolkowner]

But again, with what? Obviously Israel’s not about to nuke Yemen. Are you imagining a scenario where they overfly a 3000km round trip through Saudi airspace to magically solve the Houthis with some smart bombs?

subs?

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

The Houthi don't have a robust industry and supply chain. They can't afford to lose to many of their assets. Hitting a couple of launch sites might be enough to send back to make idle threats again.

I think many are seriously underestimating the threat this organization poses along with their capabilities:

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

No idea, we’re way too far into speculation to say at this point.

The supply and smuggling network in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden is robust....

We intercept plenty of illicit vessels but it's a drop in the bucket and barely makes a dent.

Multinational approach delivering results in countering smuggling in Arabian Sea - defenceWeb

Despite the growing effectiveness of maritime operations along the route from Iran to Yemen, drug and weapons trafficking remains a serious threat with consequences for regional security. On 27 December 2022, while patrolling the Arabian Sea, the French frigate FNS Guépratte intercepted a...

www.defenceweb.co.za

Dhow in the Persian Gulf armed with Iranian missile explains U.S. alarm: Sources

Overhead imagery showed fully assembled missiles, stoking fears that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps would fire them at U.S. naval ships

nationalpost.com

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1630946/middle-east

These are professional smugglers and for every big hit we do manage, hundreds of shipments get through.

 

[Kirkhill]

Rather than tying up ships as escorts sway a couple or three of these aboard every vessel making the passage with a naval det. You can leave the trucks at dockside.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

Rather than tying up ships as escorts sway a couple or three of these aboard every vessel making the passage with a naval det. You can leave the trucks at dockside.

View attachment 81992

Geeee why didn't we just think of that in the first place

 

[Lumber]

Geeee why didn't we just think of that in the first place

<EgyptHasEnteredTheChat>

Egyptian Navy using Humvee-mounted Stingers on its Mistral vessels - defenceWeb

The Egyptian Navy is using Avenger vehicles as short range air defence systems on its Mistral class vessels, with the Stinger-armed vehicles positioned on the vessels’ flight decks. The Egyptian Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a video on 12 July showing the Cleopatra 2017 exercise with the...

www.defenceweb.co.za

 

[Kirkhill]

Geeee why didn't we just think of that in the first place

It wouldn't surprise me if I was a day late and a dollar short.

 

[Humphrey Bogart]

<EgyptHasEnteredTheChat>

Egyptian Navy using Humvee-mounted Stingers on its Mistral vessels - defenceWeb

The Egyptian Navy is using Avenger vehicles as short range air defence systems on its Mistral class vessels, with the Stinger-armed vehicles positioned on the vessels’ flight decks. The Egyptian Ministry of Defence (MoD) released a video on 12 July showing the Cleopatra 2017 exercise with the...

www.defenceweb.co.za

I take your Humvee and raise you TOR!

We did the same thing in Gulf War is my understanding by putting some landlubbers with blowpipe on the AORs.