by Michael Snyder, End Of The American Dream:

Since the middle of November, the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have literally attacked dozens of commercial ships in the Red Sea, and the Houthis insist that the attacks will continue until Israeli troops pull out of Gaza.  Needless to say, that is not going to happen.  Since the Houthis are not able to attack Israel directly, they are doing their best to make themselves a relevant part of World War III by lobbing missiles at cargo ships and disrupting global trade.  Of course the western elite were not just going to sit there and allow the Houthis to threaten energy markets and global supply chains.  Normally, approximately 40 percent of all trade between Europe and Asia goes through the Red Sea.  If a commercial ship is forced to go all the way around the Horn of Africa, the additional fuel that is used can cost up to a million dollars.  When western economic interests are threatened so gravely, it is only a matter of time before the U.S. military gets involved, and that is precisely what has happened.  In fact, the U.S. just launched a fifth wave of military strikes against the Houthis in Yemen…