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US and British strikes against the Houthis in Yemen are not deterring the Iran-backed rebels but the military action will continue, President Joe Biden said on Thursday as the dangerous retaliations in the Red Sea escalate.
“Are [the strikes] stopping the Houthis? No. Are they going to continue? Yes,” Mr Biden told reporters.
Moments later, the Pentagon said US fighter jets had conducted a fifth strike on Houthi targets since last week, this time hitting two anti-ship missiles that were being prepared for launch towards the Red Sea.
The strike destroyed two Houthi anti-ship missiles that “were aimed into the southern Red Sea and prepared to launch,” US Central Command said in a statement posted to X.
They were conducted by Navy F/A-18 fighter aircraft, the Pentagon said.
The strike came just hours after the US said it fired a barrage of missiles from ships and submarines at 14 Houthi missiles that were ready for launch and considered to be an “imminent threat”.
The Houthis have conducted dozens of attacks in the Red Sea since November, claiming they are aiming for ships with ties to Israel as a response to the war in Gaza.
Critics say the Israeli connections are tenuous.
The risk to shipping has forced several global companies to reroute their vessels on an expensive trip around the southern tip of Africa.
Mr Biden's acknowledgement that military strikes are not working – so far – illustrates the dilemma facing his administration as it tries to contain the fallout from Israel's war in Gaza and seeks to avoid a broader regional war during months ahead of presidential elections.
The British military also took part in the first strikes last week.
“The United States is trying to avoid having to escalate further, but rather to do the minimum necessary to convince the Houthis to stop their attacks on international shipping,” said Tom Warrick, non-resident senior fellow with the Middle East Programmes at the Atlantic Council.
“It remains to be seen what it will take to to get the Houthis to stop these attacks.”
The US on Wednesday said it would re-list Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis as a specially designated global terrorist organisation, limiting the rebel group's access to funding.
But a network as large as the Houthis, which has been operating for three decades, is likely to be able to circumvent such measures, and the group shows no sign of stopping its harassment of commercial and military ships.
Ibrahim Jalal, non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute, said the US-led strikes so far were limited in scope so as to avoid escalating the situation and getting into a broader conflict in Yemen with the Houthis and Iran.
“These attacks are symbolic. I mean, the United States cannot afford to do nothing. It's the only superpower in the world,” Mr Jalal told The National.
“They [the US and UK] have framed this as a challenge to the freedom of navigation … rather than a problem that is emanating from the Houthis in Yemen.”
The New York Times at the weekend quoted two US officials as estimating that the US-led strikes in Yemen had damaged or destroyed about 20 to 30 per cent of the Houthis' offensive capability.
But Mr Jalal said the current situation could drag on for some time, and that the extent of the Houthis' arsenal is not fully understood as it is spread across a vast area, often hidden underground in mountain areas.
Further complicating the dynamic, the Houthis are using their direct confrontation with the West as a recruiting tool and for gathering some support in Yemen.
“They think that God is with them, that [because] they defeated the Saudi-led coalition, they can defeat the US-led coalition now too,” Mr Jalal said.
The Pentagon has stressed that it does not seek a broader confrontation with the Houthis.
“We don't seek war. We don't think that we are at war. We don't want to see a regional war,” Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said on Thursday.
“The Houthis are the ones that continue to launch cruise missiles or anti-ship missiles at innocent mariners, at commercial vessels that are just transiting an area that sees 10 to 15 per cent of the world's commerce.
"What we are doing with our partners is self-defence.”
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said on Thursday that the US strikes would continue “for as long as they need to continue”.
“I’m not going to telegraph punches one way or another,” Mr Kirby told reporters.
Yemenis protest in Sanaa after US and UK hit Houthi sites – in pictures
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
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2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
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