Despite the devastating attacks on Hezbollah which has wiped out most (if not all) of the group's top commanders, Iran doesn't seem to be getting the message. Over the past day, Iranian-backed Houthis have fired missiles at Israel and at US Navy ships in the Red Sea.

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi militants said on Friday they had targeted the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv and Ashkelon along with three U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea with missiles and drones in support of Gaza and Lebanon.

The Israeli army said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen which had triggered sirens to sound in central Israel...

Sarea also said, in a separate televised speech, that the group had simultaneously targeted three U.S. destroyers in the Red Sea with 23 ballistic and winged missiles and a drone while the vessels were on their way to support Israel.

The NY Post has more on the attacks targeting the US Navy.

The barrage was launched at the USS Spruance and USS Stockdale — both guided missile destroyers — and the USS Indianapolis, a littoral combat ship, as they traveled north of the Bab el-Mandeb strait.

The Houthis claimed they made direct hits on the US ships but the Navy denied that and said no ships were hit and no US personnel were injured. 

Sabrina Singh, the deputy Pentagon spokesperson, said no US warships were damaged or struck by the Houthi munitions, and there were no injuries to American personnel.

"We did see a complex attack launched from the Houthis that ranged from cruise missiles and [drones]," Singh told reporters at a briefing. "My understanding is that those were either engaged and shot down or failed."

For reasons I can't understand, the Navy spokesperson also seems to be downplaying the motive of the attack, saying it wasn't clear who was being targeted.

"Sometimes it's hard to tell whether they're being shot in the vicinity of a US ship or targeting another vessel. We always take measures for our self-defense, so I can't really tell you the intended target," Singh said.

But, as mentioned above, the Houthis have already said very explicitly that this was an attack on the US Navy and, in their view, a successful one. So why are we backing away from calling this what it is? Unless the goal of this ambiguity is to give us an excuse not to respond, I don't see the point.

And this could be just the beginning. Iran is working behind the scenes to escalate these Houthi attacks on the US and Israel. Reports this week indicated Iran has been trying to broker a deal for the Houthis to acquire Russian anti-ship missiles.

Iran has brokered ongoing secret talks between Russia and Yemen's Houthi rebels to transfer anti-ship missiles to the militant group, three Western and regional sources said, a development that highlights Tehran's deepening ties to Moscow.

Seven sources said that Russia has yet to decide to transfer the Yakhont missiles – also known as P-800 Oniks - which experts said would allow the militant group to more accurately strike commercial vessels in the Red Sea and increase the threat to the U.S. and European warships defending them...

"Russia is negotiating with the Houthis for the transfer of Yakhont supersonic anti-ship missiles," said a Western intelligence source. "The Iranians are brokering the talks but do not want to have their signature over it."

The Iranians have been playing this game for a long time. Elliot Abrams suggests there's a relatively easy way to bring the consequences of this home for Iran. "We talk about Houthi ballistic missiles. There are no Houthi ballistic missiles. They are Iranian missiles that they give to the Houthis," he said. He continued, "So I think if we said to the [Iranian] regime, with credibility, if they hit an American ship you will pay a price directly, it would stop." He makes a good point.

“What I would like to see, and what it seems CENTCOM and the US Navy would also like to see, is that we say to Iran: This has to stop. The Houthi attacks on American ships are not going to be tolerated. If the Houthis hit an American ship, we, the United States, will hit an… pic.twitter.com/7NNP12opkN

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) September 27, 2024