The US Navy’s operation against the Houthi rebels, overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, has become the Navy’s most intensive ongoing sea fight since World War II, according to Navy officers and experts.

The conflict confronts the Navy’s responsibility to keep international waterways open against a group whose old stockpile of assault rifles and pickup trucks has expanded into an almost limitless supply of drones, missiles, and other weaponry.

Since November, the Houthis have launched nearly daily strikes on more than 50 vessels, while shipping volume has plummeted in the critical Red Sea corridor that connects to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean.

The Houthis claim the attacks are intended to end the fighting in Gaza and help the Palestinians, despite the fact that they are also attempting to bolster their position in Yemen. All indications are that the conflict will escalate, placing US sailors, friends, and commercial boats at risk.

The U.S. Navy prepared for decades to potentially fight the Soviet Union, then later Russia and China, on the world’s waterways. But instead of a global power, the Navy finds itself locked in combat with a shadowy, Iran-backed rebel group based in Yemen.

The U.S.-led campaign against the Houthi rebels, overshadowed by the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, has turned into the most intense running sea battle the Navy has faced since World War II, its leaders and experts told The Associated Press.

US Navy fighting Missiles and Drones

The combat pits the US Navy’s mission to keep international waterways open against a group whose former arsenal of assault rifles and pickup trucks has grown into a seemingly inexhaustible supply of drones, missiles and other weaponry.

Near-daily attacks by the Houthis since November have seen more than 50 vessels clearly targeted, while shipping volume has dropped in the vital Red Sea corridor that leads to the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean.

The Houthis say the attacks are aimed at stopping the war in Gaza and supporting the Palestinians, though it comes as they try to strengthen their position in Yemen. All signs suggest the warfare will intensify — putting U.S. sailors, their allies and commercial vessels at more risk.

“I don’t think people really understand just kind of how deadly serious it is what we’re doing and how under threat the ships continue to be,” Cmdr. Eric Blomberg with the USS Laboon told the AP on a visit to his warship on the Red Sea.

“We only have to get it wrong once,” he said. “The Houthis just have to get one through.”

The pace of the fire can be seen on the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, where the paint around the hatches of its missile pods has been burned away from repeated launches. Its sailors sometimes have seconds to confirm a launch by the Houthis, confer with other ships and open fire on an incoming missile barrage that can move near or beyond the speed of sound.

“It is every single day, every single watch, and some of our ships have been out here for seven-plus months doing that,” said Capt. David Wroe, the commodore overseeing the guided missile destroyers.

One round of fire on Jan. 9 saw the Laboon, other vessels and F/A-18s from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower shoot down 18 drones, two anti-ship cruise missiles and a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis.

Nearly every day — aside from a slowdown during the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan — the Houthis launch missiles, drones or some other type of attack in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connects the waterways and separates Africa from the Arabian Peninsula.

The Navy saw periods of combat during the “Tanker Wars” of the 1980s in the Persian Gulf, but that largely involved ships hitting mines. The Houthi assaults involve direct attacks on commercial vessels and warships.

“This is the most sustained combat that the U.S. Navy has seen since World War II — easily, no question,” said Bryan Clark, a former Navy submariner and a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute. “We’re sort of on the verge of the Houthis being able to mount the kinds of attacks that the U.S. can’t stop every time, and then we will start to see substantial damage. … If you let it fester, the Houthis are going to get to be a much more capable, competent, experienced force.”

Dangers at sea and in the air

While the Eisenhower appears to largely stay at a distance, destroyers like the Laboon spend six out of seven days near or off Yemen — the “weapons engagement zone,” in Navy speak.

Sea combat in the Mideast remains risky, something the Navy knows well. In 1987, an Iraqi fighter jet fired missiles that struck the USS Stark, a frigate on patrol in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war, killing 37 sailors and nearly sinking the vessel.

There’s also the USS Cole, targeted in 2000 by boat-borne al-Qaida suicide bombers during a refueling stop in Yemen’s port city of Aden, which killed 17 on board. AP journalists saw the Cole patrolling the Red Sea with the Laboon on Wednesday, the same day the Houthis launched a drone-boat attack against a commercial ship there that disabled the vessel.

That commercial ship was abandoned on Friday and left adrift and unlit in the Red Sea, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.

Rear Adm. Marc Miguez, the Navy’s commander for its Carrier Strike Group Two, which includes the Eisenhower and supporting ships, said the Navy had taken out one underwater bomb-carrying drone launched by the Houthis as well during the campaign.

“We currently have pretty high confidence that not only is Iran providing financial support, but they’re providing intelligence support,” Miguez said. “We know for a fact the Houthis have also gotten training to target maritime shipping and target U.S. warships.”

Asked if the Navy believed Iran picks targets for the Houthis, Miguez would only say there was “collaboration” between Tehran and the rebels. He also noted Iran continues to arm the Houthis, despite U.N. sanctions blocking weapons transfers to them.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations told the AP that Tehran “is adept at thwarting the U.S. strategy in a way that not only strengthens (the Houthis) but also ensures compliance with the pertinent resolutions.”

The risk isn’t just on the water. The U.S.-led campaign has carried out numerous airstrikes targeting Houthi positions inside Yemen, including what the U.S. military describes as radar stations, launch sites, arsenals and other locations. One round of U.S. and British strikes on May 30 killed at least 16 people, the deadliest attack acknowledged by the rebels.

The Eisenhower’s air crews have dropped over 350 bombs and fired 50 missiles at targets in the campaign, said Capt. Marvin Scott, who oversees all the air group’s aircraft. Meanwhile, the Houthis apparently have shot down multiple MQ-9 Reaper drones with surface-to-air missile systems.

“The Houthis also have surface-to-air capabilities that we have significantly degraded, but they are still present and still there,” Scott said. “We’re always prepared to be shot at by the Houthis.”

A stalemated war

Officers acknowledge some grumbling among their crew, wondering why the Navy doesn’t strike harder against the Houthis. The White House hasn’t discussed the Houthi campaign at the same level as negotiations over the Israel-Hamas war.

There are several likely reasons. The U.S. has been indirectly trying to lower tensions with Iran, particularly after Tehran launched a massive drone-and-missile attack on Israel and now enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.

Meanwhile, there’s the Houthis themselves. The rebel group has battled a Saudi-led coalition into a stalemate in a wider war that’s killed more than 150,000 people, including civilians, and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters.

The U.S. directly fighting the Houthis is something the leaders of the Zaydi Shiite group likely want. Their motto long has been “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.” Combating the U.S. and siding publicly with the Palestinians has some in the Mideast praising the rebels.

While the United States and its European allies police the waterways, Saudi Arabia has mainly been silent, seeking a peace settlement with the Houthis. According to reports, certain Middle Eastern countries have begged the United States not to initiate attacks on the Houthis from their territory, making Eisenhower’s presence even more crucial.

The carrier’s deployment has been extended, and its crew has only made one port stop since its deployment a week after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

Obama and Yemen

In 2015, US President Barack Obama began assisting a Saudi-led coalition against Houthi rebels in Yemen. The goal was to restore Yemen’s government, which the Houthis had deposed.

Obama approved logistical support, intelligence sharing, and weaponry sales to the coalition. Critics believe that this assistance exacerbated a humanitarian disaster, killing thousands of civilians and pushing millions to the edge of hunger.

Proponents argue that it was important to oppose Iranian influence in the region, given Tehran’s support for the Houthis. Despite objectives, the war has lingered on, causing enormous misery among Yemen’s people.

The Associated Press

BARI, Italy – As the second day of their summit began on Friday, the leaders of the Group of Seven major industrialized countries focused on migration, looking for methods to stop human trafficking and boost investment in the countries from whom migrants begin their frequently fatal journeys.

Additional hot issues discussed at the meeting in a posh resort in southern Puglia, Italy, include climate change, artificial intelligence, the Gaza War, financial support for Ukraine, and China’s industrial policies and economic security.

However, there also seemed to be differences in the summit’s final proclamation; a reference to abortion was reportedly the subject of dispute.

G7 Leaders Tackle The Issue Of Migration On The Second Day Of Their Summit In Italy

Being on one of the main routes into the European Union for people escaping poverty and conflict in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, summit host Italy is particularly interested in migration.

Hard-line right-wing Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni has been keen to boost financing and investment in African countries to lessen the impact of migration on Europe.

At the summit opening on Thursday, Meloni said, “Italy wanted to dedicate ample space to another continent that is fundamental to the future of all of us, which is Africa, with its difficulties, its opportunities.”

She added, “Linked to Africa, and not only to Africa, there is another fundamental issue that Italy has placed at the center of the presidency, which is the issue of migration, the increasingly worrying role that trafficking organizations are assuming, clearly exploiting the desperation of human beings.”

Meloni has a contentious five-year agreement with neighboring Albania that calls for the Balkan nation to house thousands of asylum applicants while Italy handles their applications. She has also led the “Mattei Plan” for Africa, a pan-African initiative to boost domestic economic prospects and thereby deter immigration to Europe.

UNHCR statistics show that as of right now, in 2024, over 22,000 migrants have landed in Italy by sea. Over 157,000 came in 2023, and almost 2,000 perished or vanished while trying the treacherous Mediterranean voyage.

The United States has also been grappling with an increasing number of migrants at its southern border. When a bill he attempted to push through Congress was not passed, President Joe Biden implemented new measures to reduce immigration.

However, on Thursday, proponents of immigrant rights filed lawsuits against the new regulations, and it is unknown if they will survive the legal challenges in American courts.

“It is a common challenge,” European Council President Charles Michel declared upon his arrival at the summit.

“We intend to fight against the smugglers, these criminal groups which are abusing (vulnerable people) to make money and to destabilize regions and countries across the world,” he said, “together with our partners.”

G7 Leaders Tackle The Issue Of Migration On The Second Day Of Their Summit In Italy

Along with the G7 countries—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States—the Italian hosts have extended invitations to several African leaders, including Tunisian President Kais Saied, Kenyan President William Ruto, and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to promote Meloni’s development and migration plans.

Speaking on artificial intelligence on Friday, Pope Francis will also become the first pope to attend a G7 summit. Invitees also include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

A powerful demonstration of support for Kyiv marked the start of the summit on Thursday: an agreement was reached on a U.S. plan to approve a $50 billion loan to Ukraine using blocked Russian assets as security.

The freeze of Russian assets was branded “theft” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who further promised that it “will not go unpunished.”

Speaking at the Russian Foreign Ministry on Friday, he stated, “Western countries have frozen a part of Russian assets and foreign exchange reserves and are now thinking about some kind of legal basis to completely appropriate them.” However, despite all the planning, thievery will still be stolen and will not go unpunished.

On Thursday night, Biden also inked a bilateral security deal with Zelenskyy in an effort to convey to Russia the American commitment to backing Kyiv.

Zelenskyy called it a “truly historic day” and stated that the agreement was “on security and thus on the protection of human life.”

But significant rifts emerged among the G7 leaders, with French President Emmanuel Macron criticizing the summit’s final document’s omission of abortion.

Following the meeting in Hiroshima, Japan, last year, a declaration was released pledging to protect gender equality and the rights of LGBTQ+ people while also giving women and girls access to safe and legal abortion.

G7 Leaders Tackle The Issue Of Migration On The Second Day Of Their Summit In Italy

A top EU official affirmed on Friday that while promoting sexual and reproductive health rights was mentioned in this year’s final declaration, the word “abortion” was not.

The person, speaking under anonymity to disclose the specifics of the private talks, said, “It was not possible to reach agreement on these things in the room.”

France “has included women’s right to abortion, the freedom of decision on one’s own body, into its Constitution,” Macron said, adding that France defends “this vision of equality between women and men,” when questioned on Thursday about reports that abortion would not be included in the final text.

In response to an Italian reporter’s inquiry, Macron stated, “It’s not a vision that’s shared across all the political spectrum.” “I respect it even though I regret it because your people made that sovereign decision.”

Despite her campaigning around the slogan “God, Faith and Fatherland,” Meloni has refuted claims that she is reversing Italy’s 1978 legalization of abortions. The opposition on the center left has cautioned that her policies are eroding those rights, particularly by granting women thinking about abortion access to pro-life organizations.

According to Italy’s ANSA news agency, this year’s wording states that the G7 “repeats our commitment expressed in the final communique of the G7 of Hiroshima for a universal, adequate and sustainable access to health services for women, including the right to reproduction.”

SOURCE – (AP)

Washington – Bump stocks are a gun attachment that enables semi-automatic rifles to fire quickly like machine guns and were used in the bloodiest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The Supreme Court overturned a Trump-era ban on them on Friday.

The Trump administration reversing course and outlawing bump stocks in 2017 after a gunman in Las Vegas attacked a country music festival with assault rifles was ruled by the high court 6-3 to have violated federal law. In eleven minutes, he unleashed more than a thousand rounds into the crowd, killing sixty and wounding hundreds more.

The owner of a gun store in Texas appealed the prohibition, claiming the Justice Department misclassified the attachments as illegal machine guns.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump-Era Ban On Bump Stocks, Gun Accessories Used In 2017 Vegas Massacre

The Biden administration maintained that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives made the appropriate decision when selecting the attachments that enable weapons to fire hundreds of rounds per minute.

It was the most recent gun case to be heard by the high court, which in 2022 issued a historic ruling extending gun rights thanks to a conservative supermajority. The court is currently considering another gun case that challenges a federal statute meant to keep firearms away from those who are subject to restraining orders related to domestic abuse.

The Second Amendment was less of a focus of the arguments in the bump stock case than whether the ATF had exceeded its power.

Liberal justices on the court said it was “common sense” that under federal law, anything that could discharge a “torrent of bullets” qualified as a machine weapon. But conservative justices questioned why Congress had not taken action to outlaw bump stocks and what would have happened if the ATF had reversed its decision ten years after deeming the accessory legal.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump-Era Ban On Bump Stocks, Gun Accessories Used In 2017 Vegas Massacre

After lower courts divided over bump stocks, developed in the early 2000s, the top court took up the case. Bump stocks did not turn semi-automatic rifles into machine guns, the ATF determined under Republican President George W. Bush and Democrat Barack Obama. Following the Las Vegas shooting and another mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida high school that claimed 17 lives, the agency undid those rulings at Trump’s request.

The portion of a rifle that sits against the shoulder is called the stock, and bump stocks are attachments. By using the weapon’s recoil energy to cause the trigger to strike the shooter’s immobile finger, bump stocks enable the pistol to fire at a pace similar to that of a conventional machine gun. Individual bans on bump stocks exist in fifteen states and the District of Columbia.

The plaintiff, Texas gun shop owner and military veteran Michael Cargill was represented by the New Civil Liberties Alliance, an organization supported by conservative benefactors like the Koch network. His defense admitted that bump stocks allow for rapid fire but contended that they are different since the shooter has to put in more effort to keep the pistol shooting.

Supreme Court Strikes Down Trump-Era Ban On Bump Stocks, Gun Accessories Used In 2017 Vegas Massacre

Government lawyers claimed the effort required by the shooter was minor and didn’t make a legal difference. The Justice Department said the ATF altered its stance on bump stocks after performing a more in-depth review inspired by the Las Vegas shooting and came to the proper decision.

When the ban went into force in 2019, around 520,000 bump stocks were in circulation. The plaintiffs alleged in court documents that the ban forced users to either surrender or destroy them, resulting in a combined estimated loss of $100 million.

SOURCE – (AP)