"Death to America! Death to Israel!" The Houthi Crisis w/ Caleb Maupin (Strange Bedfellows, Ep. 24)

Early this morning the U.S. military struck another Houthi-controlled site in #Yemen that it had determined was putting commercial vessels in the Red Sea at risk, a day after the U.S. and Britain launched multiple airstrikes targeting #Houthi rebels.

The first day of strikes Friday hit 28 locations and struck more than 60 targets. President Joe #Biden had warned Friday that the #Houthis could face further strikes.

The latest strike came after the U.S. Navy on Friday warned American-flagged vessels to steer clear of areas around Yemen in the Red Sea. The warning came as Yemen’s Houthis vowed fierce retaliation, further raising the prospect of a wider conflict in a region already beset by #Israel’s war in #Gaza.

At a stop in Pennsylvania Friday, President Biden told reporters: “We will make sure that we respond to the Houthis if they continue this outrageous behavior along with our allies.”

The White House said in November that it was considering re-designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization after they began their targeting of civilian vessels. The administration formally delisted the Houthis as a “foreign terrorist organization” and “specially designated global #terrorists” in 2021, undoing a move by President Donald #Trump.

Lt. Gen. Douglas Sims, director of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Friday’s airstrikes were largely in low-populated areas, and the number of those killed would not be high. He said the strikes hit weapons, radar and targeting sites, including in remote mountain areas.

As the bombing lit the predawn sky over multiple sites held by the Iranian-backed rebels, it forced the world to again focus on Yemen’s long civil war, which began when the Houthis seized the country’s capital.

Since November, the rebels have repeatedly targeted ships in the Red Sea, saying they were avenging Israel’s offensive in Gaza against #Hamas, in solidarity with #Palestine. But they have frequently targeted vessels with tenuous or no clear links to Israel, imperiling shipping in a key route for global trade and energy shipments.

The Houthis’ military spokesman said in a recorded address that the U.S. airstrikes would “not go unanswered or unpunished.”

Though the Biden administration and its allies have tried to calm tensions in the Middle East for weeks and prevent any wider conflict, the latest round of strikes threatened to ignite one.

Saudi Arabia — which supports the government-in-exile that the Houthis are fighting — quickly sought to distance itself from the attacks as it seeks to maintain a delicate détente with Iran and a cease-fire it has in Yemen. The Saudi-led, U.S.-backed war in Yemen has killed more than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters, killing tens of thousands more.

Tonight on “Strange Bedfellows” our guest is Caleb Maupin, reporter for #Russia’s RT News and founder of the Center for Political Innovation (CPI), who has a unique personal insight on the current crisis in Yemen. He was onboard an Iranian cargo ship headed for Yemen back in 2015 carrying humanitarian aid for the Red Crescent Society when the ship became involved in a showdown on the high seas.

Caleb is is a widely acclaimed speaker, author, journalist, political analyst, and a communist. The activist group he founded, CPI, has long advocated for the Houthis and the Palestinian liberation cause.

The official slogan of the Houthi movement is: “God Is the Greatest, Death to America, Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews, Victory to Islam.”

Why would a proud American like Caleb strongly support a movement that intends to destroy his country? He will tell us why on Episode 24 of “Strange Bedfellows.”

It’s a pleasure to welcome our friend Caleb Maupin back to the show tonight.

Join us at 9 PM Eastern for another incredible conversation!

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