On July 6, 2025, a massive 35可靠配资平台,000-ton vessel named \"Magic Ocean\" slowly sank in the northern Red Sea. The ship was surrounded by Houthi armed fast boats and was then struck precisely by two unmanned boats carrying explosives. The collision created a three-meter-wide hole on the ship’s port side. Onboard was 17,000 tons of ammonium nitrate, a hazardous chemical used both as a fertilizer and as an explosive material. This substance contributed directly to the explosion, causing the cargo ship—worth millions of dollars—to disappear beneath the waves.
The Houthi spokesperson, Yahya Saree, explained calmly the reasoning behind the attack. According to him, the company owning the ship had docked at Israeli ports three times over the past week, which violated their ban on Israeli-related shipping. He made a point to clarify that their actions were strictly targeted at commercial vessels, and not civilian ones, stressing that humanitarian aid missions were not harmed.
展开剩余85%In response, Israel’s retaliation was swift. At dawn on July 7, Israel launched an airstrike under Operation \"Black Flag,\" deploying over twenty aircraft that flew more than 2,000 kilometers directly to Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen. The attack sparked massive fires at the oil depots in Hudaydah, while a power plant in Ras Katib was destroyed, plunging western Yemen into a widespread blackout. Even the Houthi hijacked \"Galaxy Leader\" cargo ship, which had been converted into a military platform, was blown to pieces. Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Katz issued a stern warning, stating that Yemen would face the same fate as Tehran.
However, the Houthi's counterattack came much faster than anyone expected. Within less than an hour after the airstrike, a hypersonic missile launched from Houthi territory struck Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport. The air defense sirens blared across the night sky, and while the Israeli military claimed to have successfully intercepted the missile, the airport was forced to shut down for several hours. The speed of this \"immediate revenge\" took military analysts by surprise.
The core of the Houthi military strategy is based on asymmetric warfare. The cost of a fast-moving unmanned boat used to sink the \"Magic Ocean\" was only about $1,000, while the ship’s value was in the tens of millions of dollars. Likewise, the cost to intercept one missile could easily run into the millions of dollars, while the missiles launched by the Houthis likely cost only a small fraction of that. This “lose money to win” economic warfare model represents the Houthis’ primary tactic in countering military powers.
The Houthis are no longer the \"AK47-wielding guerrillas\" they once were. Their \"Palestine-2\" hypersonic missile, capable of reaching speeds of Mach 16, easily bypasses Israel's expensive Iron Dome defense system. Although Iran has been a source of support, the Houthis have also demonstrated impressive innovation, evolving from assembling Iranian components to developing their own domestically-produced missiles.
In the realm of public relations, the Houthis excel as well. Every time they launch an operation, they claim it is \"for Gaza’s revenge,\" framing their military actions as a righteous fight against hegemony. After sinking the commercial ship, they made a point to clarify that civilians were not their targets, setting themselves apart from Israel’s actions in the conflict. This savvy information warfare has proven highly effective, leaving traditional military powers' media machines in the dust.
The explosion in the Red Sea immediately triggered a shockwave through the global economy, clogging up trade routes. Shipping insurance premiums skyrocketed overnight, and many ships traveling along Asia-Europe routes were forced to reroute around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope, adding ten extra days to their journey. In just a few days, the Houthis had thrown global trade into disarray using only a few low-cost boats.
The United States’ role in all this seemed increasingly awkward. Despite pledging to protect shipping lanes, when the \"Magic Ocean\" was attacked, U.S. Navy vessels responded curiously by remaining silent. Prior to this, the U.S. had spent over a billion dollars on airstrikes against the Houthis, with little success. Even President Trump had brokered the \"U.S.-Houthi ceasefire agreement,\" ensuring no attacks on American ships. But when an Israeli vessel was targeted, the U.S. remained silent, exposing the limits of its influence in the Middle East with a stance of \"tough talk, no action.\"
Israel, meanwhile, finds itself bogged down in a multi-front war. The Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen have all ignited into conflict, forcing Israel to spread its resources thin. While Israel possesses cutting-edge technology like the F-35 stealth fighter and smart bombs, it finds itself in a difficult position against the scattered deployment of Houthi missile launchers and the network of mountain caves serving as their command centers. The northern Gaza Strip has been reduced to rubble, with Hamas resistance continuing despite the onslaught. Rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon is relentless, and the flow of weapons into Syria has never stopped. This multi-pronged pressure has gradually eroded Israel's technological advantages in a prolonged conflict.
The Houthis have transformed from a guerrilla force in the mountains of Yemen into a strategic player capable of reshaping global dynamics. Their tactics combine military strikes, cognitive warfare, and economic strangulation, using low-cost operations to exert nation-level deterrence. As Israeli jets roar over Yemen's coastline and Houthi missiles tear through Israel's skies, the endgame of this asymmetric confrontation remains unclear. One thing is certain: the power dynamics of the Middle East are being redrawn in the smoke of the Red Sea explosions.
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