Vol. 16, No.

17

October 13, 2016

Iranian Missiles in Houthi Hands Threaten Freedom of Navigation in Red Sea

Lt. Col. (ret.) Michael Segall

The remains of the United Arab Emirate High Speed Vessel HSV 2 Swift ship (Tasnim1 [Iran])

Since the beginning of October 2016, the Houthi-Yemeni conflict has assumed a new
naval and international dimension that could endanger civilian freedom of
navigation in the Red Seas Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as a gateway for oil
tankers headed to Europe through the Suez Canal. The Houthis are backed and
armed by Iran; the Yemen army is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.

On October 1, 2016, the Houthi-allied Yemeni Republican Guard launched an antiship cruise missile (ASCM) near the Red Sea port of Mocha in the strategic Bab elMandeb shipping lane. It struck a humanitarian ship in the service of the United
Arab Emirates Navy.

The United States dispatched three battleships to the area. On October 9, Iranianbacked Houthi militants fired on the USS Mason in the same area; on October 11,
they fired two more cruise missiles at the ship. No damages or injuries were
reported.

In retaliation, the USS Nitze launched Tomahawk cruise missile strikes knocking out
three Houthi coastal radar sites that were active during previous attacks and
attempted attacks on ships in the Red Sea." The strikes, authorized by President
Barack Obama, represent Washington's first direct military action against suspected
Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict.

Apparent in Yemen are the absence of the American player and the weakening of its
overall policy in the Middle East. Not far from Yemen in the Persian Gulf and the
Strait of Hormuz, Iranian fast boats continue to harass and provoke American
warships, which operate without any appropriate response. Meanwhile, Iran
continues to build its naval and missile power.

Playing down the incident will play into Iranian propaganda and bolster Irans
already overconfident and defiant stance.

Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have been waging war against the Yemeni army and the
Saudi-led Arab coalition in Yemen for several years. Since the beginning of October
2016, the conflict has assumed a new naval and international dimension that could
endanger civilian freedom of navigation in the Red Seas Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which
serves as a gateway for oil tankers headed to Europe through the Suez Canal.
On October 1, the Houthi-allied Yemeni Republican Guard launched what appears to
have been a Chinese-made C-802 anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) near the Red Sea port
of Mocha in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb shipping lane. Another possibility is that it was
a Noor guided missile (the Iranian version of the C-802) that Iran supplied to the Houthi
rebels as part of its extensive military and political assistance to them. Iran supports
Houthis in their struggle to take control of Yemen, including their firing of missiles at
Saudi Arabia.2 The maximum range of the advanced version of the missile is 170 km.
(apparently Iran supplied the 120-km. version).
The missile struck an HSV-2 Swift hybrid catamaran belonging to the United Arab
Emirates navy operating in the area as part of the Saudi coalition. The ship was carrying
a humanitarian cargo as well as people injured in the combat areas of the city of Aden
the temporary capital for the Yemeni government since the Houthi conquest of Sanaa.

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This is not the first time the Houthis have claimed they are acting against ships of the
Saudi-led Arab coalition in the area of Bab el-Mandeb.

Map of Yemen. Note the Bab el Mandeb choke point (CIA)

The UAE Foreign Ministry said in a statement: The targeting of the civilian ship in an
international channel has serious implications for freedom of navigation, and is an act of
terror.3 The United Nations also condemned the act. It is worth noting that, during the
Second Lebanon War in 2006, a Noor missile that Iran supplied to Hizbullah struck the
Israeli naval vessel INS Hanit and killed four crew members.
The Houthi rebels claimed to have fired the missile that destroyed the UAE ship. They
also posted videos on social networks that document the surveillance, the launch of the
missile, the moment it hit the ship, as well as rocket fire toward rescue boats that came
to the area.4 They said the ship was advancing toward Mocha.5 Earlier, on September 26,
Houthi forces encamped on the Hanish Islands and fired artillery shells at Eritrean forces
at the seaport and the military airport at Assab in Eritrea. The Houthis claimed that the
attack was a response to the aid Eritrea is giving to the Saudi-led Arab coalition by
allowing it to use the port, which is very near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.6 After the
October 1 incident, the damaged ship was able to reach the port of Assab.
A few days after the missile was fired at the UAE ship, the Houthis, under the name
Yemeni Navy Coastal Defense, issued a warning to any vessel belonging to the Saudi-led
coalition not to take action against Yemen, with a reminder about the strike on the UAE
vessel. The vessels were warned not to approach Yemeni territorial waters without
permission from the Yemeni authorities. The statement cautioned: In case of

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witnessing any uncoordinated movements near Yemens territorial waters or trespass of
our sea border, the vessels of Saudi Arabia and its allies will be destroyed.7

The ship when it once belonged to the U.S. Navy (DOD photo)

Houthis Issue Warning against Trespassing

Following the firing of the missile at the UAE ship, the United States dispatched three
naval ships to the area. The ships the guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG-94)
and USS Mason (DDG-87) and the amphibious transport dock USS Ponce (AFSB (I)-15)
are on station off Yemen near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. Spokesmen of the American
fleet said the United States was acting with allies in the region to ensure freedom of
navigation and trade.8
It appears the warning was also meant for U.S. Navy vessels operating in the area. On
October 9, two presumed cruise missiles, launched within 60 minutes of each other
from Houthi-controlled territory in Yemen,9 targeted the USS Mason (DDG-87) in the
same area; on October 11, Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired two more cruise
missiles within a 60-minute window at the USS Mason.10
The ships crew employed a variety of onboard defensive measures to defend the
guided-missile destroyer and nearby USS Ponce. Mason launched two Standard Missile2s (SM-2s) and a single Enhanced Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM). In addition to the
missiles, the ship used its Nulka anti-ship missile decoy. No damage or injuries were
reported. The attack marks the first time in recent memory that a U.S. Navy vessel was
forced to engage its on-board defense systems.

C-802 Chinese-designed missile

Bryan Clark, a naval analyst at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and
former aide to retired former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, said
following the incident that It might be the first time the SM-2 was used against an
actual threat for which it was designed....Its definitely the first time ESSM has been
used....This is obviously a huge deal.11
In retaliation, the USS Nitze launched Tomahawk cruise missile strikes knocking out
three coastal radar sites in areas of Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi forces that
were active during previous attacks and attempted attacks on ships in the Red Sea," said
an American official. The areas in Yemen where the radars were located were identified
near Ras Isa, north of Mukha, and near Khoka.12

President Obama Authorized Strikes against Houthi Radar

The strikes, authorized by President Barack Obama, represent Washington's first direct
military action against suspected Houthi-controlled targets in Yemen's conflict. Navy
Capt. Jeff Davis said, Anybody who takes action, fires against U.S. Navy ships operating
in international waters, does so at their own peril....Were going to find out who did this
and we will take action accordingly." He added that the incident is being reviewed up
and down the chain of command" and that military intelligence specialists are tracking
the individuals responsible.13
On the day the missile was fired at the UAE ship, Iran was holding an annual ceremony
for those who have contributed to the resistance. The first place among the resistance
movements was taken by Houthi leader Abd al-Malek Houthi. The personal certificate of
merit for Resistance 2016 was given to his assistant by Ali Jafari, commander of the

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Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.14 Arab media saw the award as further evidence of
Irans growing involvement in the Yemeni conflict. Notably, unlike in the past, Iran is no
longer concealing its involvement in Yemen and the aid it is providing to the Shiite
Houthi rebels.

Abd al-Malek Houthis assistant receiving the resistance award. (Tasnim)

The firing of guided shore-to-sea missiles at U.S. and UAE ships constitutes an escalation
in the Yemeni conflict and could pose a threat to a key international sea lane in the Red
Sea and the Gulf of Aden. The ability to fire guided missiles, along with their long range
(120 km.), endangers not only the coalitions freedom of action and ability to enforce
the Arab embargo but also civilian vessels, including tankers that operate in the area.
Irans aid to the Houthi rebels has apparently increased beyond Tehrans ongoing
assistance to fighting at the different fronts in Yemen. Iran is prepared to provide tiebreaking weapons that could help the Houthis breach the naval blockade that Saudi
Arabia and its coalition partners have imposed on Yemen. In the past, weaponssmuggling ships have been intercepted as Iran was trying to transfer arms to the Houthi
rebels. It appears, however, that with the Houthis holding their own in the battles, the
embargo is ineffective and Iran has found other lanes for transferring weapons to the
Houthis.
The ceasefire in Yemen collapsed at the beginning of August. Despite attempts to renew
the dialogue (with the involvement of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and the UN
envoy to the region) between the Houthis, who are Irans proxies, and the Yemeni
government headed by Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, which is backed by the Saudi-led Arab
coalition, the war is continuing and even expanding. This war constitutes an additional

7
arena for the Battle of the Titans between Iran and Saudi Arabia, which is also being
waged in other venues including Syria, Iraq, and Bahrain, and is part of the realignment
of the Middle East in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

Iran Fills the American Vacuum

A solution in Yemen appears distant. International interest in the conflict is almost
nonexistent, especially in light of the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria. The departure
from Yemen of most of the American Special Forces left a vacuum; it has been filled by
Iran and the terror organizations Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and Islamic
State, which is active in southern Yemen. From time to time, unmanned American
drones fire missiles at these groups, but they remain active in the absence of
international concern. Significantly, the UAE is playing a central role in the Arab coalition
in Yemen. Along with its forces military activity, mainly against AQAP near the port
cities of Al-Mukalla and Aden in southern Yemen, the UAE provides extensive
humanitarian aid to the residents of the area as part of the struggle against terror. The
UAE is also trying to get the tribes in the area to support the Yemeni central
government, which is important to shore up.
Also apparent in Yemen are the absence of the American player and the weakening of
its overall policy in the Middle East. Not far from Yemen in the Persian Gulf and the
Strait of Hormuz, Iranian fast boats continue to harass and provoke American warships,
which operate without any appropriate response. Meanwhile, Iran continues to build its
naval and missile power, with which it can project force in the Arabian Gulf and beyond
to the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea where Iranian ships are active as part of the war
on pirates, but also as a signal to the United States that Iran views these areas as a
natural zone of influence.
Iran views the maritime domain as an important channel for its influence. It enables it to
protect its borders as it develops a special battle doctrine, swarming, to confront
technologically superior (American) naval forces. It also enables Iran to ship aid to its
proxies including the Houthis in Yemen, the Palestinian terror organizations, and
Hizbullah.
The ongoing war in Yemen serves as a perfect venue for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard
Corps Navy (IRGCN), IRGC missile forces, IRGC Quds forces, and Hizbullah to battle-test
some of their new weapons against Irans enemies Saudi Arabia and its Arab-coalition
and its arch enemy, the Great Satan, the United States.

15

Part of a cartoon on Khameneis webpage. Caption: Iranian leader conveys a strong message the
Islamic Republic of Iran unlike in the past when foreign powers exploited its natural resources and
humiliated its people is powerful enough to defend itself and humiliate its enemies.

For Iran, Yemen is a perfect venue for such tests. Iran is preparing for future
engagement with the U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf where the IRGCN frequently
provokes and sometimes humiliates American naval presence in the area. The
Americans reaction to launching the missiles against its ships may change the dynamics.
Playing the incident down will again play into Iranian propaganda and bolster Irans
already overconfident and defiant stance.
***

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IDF Lt.-Col. (ret.) Michael (Mickey) Segall, an expert on strategic issues with a focus on
Iran, terrorism, and the Middle East, is a senior analyst at the Jerusalem Center for
Public Affairs and at Alcyon Risk Advisors..
***
Notes

Tasnim, https://goo.gl/HiQm6f

http://jcpa.org/islamic-revolutionary-guards-corps-revolution-continues-beyond-irans-borders/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-emirates-security-idUSKCN1242DB

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSbJeR8ZKvA(video)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaMSb_7_3cM

https://goo.gl/0AyNG3

http://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13950713001035

https://news.usni.org/2016/10/04/official-3-u-s-warships-off-yemen-following-attack-uae-ship

http://arabic.cnn.com/middleeast/2016/10/10/yemen-us-navy-targeted?sr=fbCNN101016cnnayemen-us-navy-targeted0512AMStoryLink&linkId=29742636
10

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/yemen-us-navy-attacks_us_57ff0994e4b05eff55819087

11

https://news.usni.org/2016/10/11/uss-mason-fired-3-missiles-to-defend-from-yemen-cruisemissiles-attack
12

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen-security-missiles-idUSKCN12C294

13

http://www.militarytimes.com/articles/us-weighs-response-to-yemen-rebel-missile-attack-onships
14

https://goo.gl/MqxMuU, http://fa.alalam.ir/news/1867425

15

Cartoon: http://farsi.khamenei.ir/photo-album?id=34494

This Jerusalem Issue Brief is available online at:

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