US Forms Multinational Naval Force to Confront Houthi Attacks, Smuggling

The new naval task force of up to eight vessels is the latest US military response to the Houthi attacks (AP)
The new naval task force of up to eight vessels is the latest US military response to the Houthi attacks (AP)
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US Forms Multinational Naval Force to Confront Houthi Attacks, Smuggling

The new naval task force of up to eight vessels is the latest US military response to the Houthi attacks (AP)
The new naval task force of up to eight vessels is the latest US military response to the Houthi attacks (AP)

A US Navy official announced the formation of a new multinational naval task force to respond to Houthi attacks on regional countries, target arms smuggling, and people and drugs trafficking.

The initiative comes amid strained relations between some Gulf countries and the United States against Iran, which Washington and the UN accuse of inflaming the crisis in Yemen and supplying the Houthis with weapons to attack Yemenis and target infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The US Navy said Wednesday that it is establishing a new multinational task force that would target arms smuggling in the waters around Yemen, the latest American military response to Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and the UAE, following the missile and drone attacks on the Gulf nations.

Fifth Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Brad Cooper said that the task force would ensure a force presence and deterrent posture in the Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden and target human trafficking, drug, and other illicit goods smuggling.

Cooper explained on a call with reporters and quoted by Reuters that "these are strategically important waters that warrant our attention," adding that the new naval task force would consist of between two and eight vessels and is part of the 34-nation Combined Maritime Forces, which he also commands, that has three other task forces in nearby waters targeting smuggling and piracy.

Asked about the air raids from Yemen on US partners Saudi Arabia and the UAE, Cooper said the task force would impact the Houthi's ability to obtain the weaponry needed for such attacks, saying “we'll be able to do it more vibrantly and more directly than we do today."

A US official told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, that the waters between Somalia, Djibouti, and Yemen were well-known "smuggling paths" for weapons destined for the Houthis.

Iran has long been accused of smuggling weapons to the Houthis, a charge it denies, but the US provided evidence of Iran's involvement in arms supplies to the Houthis, providing logistical support and military training to them is sufficient.

Last month, the Fifth Fleet announced the outcomes of the defense dialogue and meetings between the US and the Gulf Cooperation Council, as the participants agreed to develop a "common defense vision" in the region to "deter air and maritime threats" done by Iran and its militias.

A statement by the US Ministry of Defense (Pentagon), by spokeswoman Cindi King, stated that the meeting that Washington held with Gulf counterparts in Riyadh stressed the importance of strengthening the ability of the GCC countries to collectively address these threats affirming the longstanding defense partnership.

The countries reaffirmed a shared commitment to regional security under the framework of the GCC-US Strategic Partnership.

An official at the US Defense Department told Asharq Al-Awsat earlier that the US was committed to bolstering Saudi Arabia's security against "dangerous external threats." He explained that defense cooperation was ongoing with Riyadh, as was the transfer of weapons, defense trade, training, and other exchanges.

The United States pledged on various occasions to continue providing Saudi Arabia with the necessary means to defend its territories and repel attacks carried out by the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen.

At the same time, it has demanded an immediate end to the war in Yemen and urged against targeting civilians and infrastructure in neighboring countries.



Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
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Tunisia Hands Lengthy Prison Terms to Top Politicians and Former Security Officials

Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)
Leader of Tunisia's Ennahda party House Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, center, flashes a victory sign as he arrives for questioning at the judicial police headquarters in Tunis, Tunisia, April 1, 2022. (AP)

A Tunisian court on Tuesday handed jail terms of 12 to 35 years on high-profile politicians, including opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi and former security officials, a move that critics say underscores the president's use of the judiciary to cement “authoritarian rule”.

Among those sentenced on charges of conspiring against the state in the major mass trial, were Nadia Akacha, the former chief of staff to President Kais Saied, local radio Mosaique FM said. Akacha who fled abroad received 35 years.

Ghannouchi, 84, veteran head of the Islamist-leaning Ennahda party, was handed a 14-year term.

Ghannouchi who was the speaker of the elected parliament dissolved by Saied, has been in prison since 2023, receiving three sentences of a total of 27 years in separate cases in recent months.

A total of 21 were charged in the case, with 10 already in custody and 11 having fled the country.

The court sentenced former intelligence chief Kamel Guizani to 35 years, former Foreign Minister Rafik Abdessalem to 35 years, and Mouadh Ghannouchi, son of Rached Ghannouchi, to 35 years. All three have fled the country.

Saied dissolved the parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree, then dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges, a move that opposition called a coup which undermined the nascent democracy that sparked in 2011 the so-called “Arab Spring” uprisings.

Saied rejects the accusations and says his steps are legal and aim to end years of chaos and corruption hidden within the political elite.

Most opposition leaders, some journalists, and critics of Saied have been imprisoned since he seized control of most powers in 2021.

This year, a court handed jail terms of 5 to 66 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers on charges of conspiring as well, a case the opposition says is fabricated in an attempt to stamp out opposition to the president.