On Day 531 of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, journalist and researcher John Elmer delivered a sobering Resistance Report on the growing involvement of the Yemeni armed forces and the strategic conflict unfolding in the Red Sea. Speaking on the Electronic Intifada livestream, Elmer connected Israel’s renewed siege on Gaza with escalating regional resistance, particularly from Yemen.
Joining this analysis, Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and veteran counterterrorism official, also offered an uncompromising assessment of the U.S. military response in the Red Sea. In a separate interview, Johnson laid bare the tactical and logistical vulnerabilities facing the U.S. Navy and warned of the broader consequences of American escalation against Yemen and, potentially, Iran.
Together, Elmer and Johnson’s insights paint a compelling picture of a rapidly expanding regional war — one in which Yemen has emerged as a central front, not a peripheral actor. Their testimony underscores how the Gaza war has set the entire region on fire, with the Red Sea now a strategic and symbolic flashpoint in the global confrontation with colonialism and impunity.
Yemen Resumes Resistance as Israel Renews the Siege
“Ansar Allah in Yemen… had been observing the ceasefire,” Elmer explained, referring to the de facto Houthi-led government. “They immediately released the crew of the Israeli ship they had commandeered and halted their attacks in the Red Sea.”
But that restraint ended when Israel resumed its blockade of Gaza on March 1. “Ansar Allah gave a period of time, issued a warning, and then said they were going to resume blocking ships servicing Israeli ports and Israeli-owned vessels transiting through the Red Sea — only Israeli ships,” Elmer said.
U.S. Retaliation: A Billion-Dollar Showdown
In response, the United States launched a bombing campaign on Yemen, now entering its second week. According to Elmer, Yemen retaliated with 18 ballistic and cruise missiles, along with drones, targeting the USS Harry S. Truman and its escort flotilla in the Red Sea.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces said the engagement lasted for many hours. The U.S. aircraft carrier reportedly retreated over 1,300 km north of the Red Sea after clashing with their forces,” Elmer reported.
The entire U.S. carrier strike group that was targeted includes:
- USS Harry S. Truman (aircraft carrier)
- USS Stout (destroyer)
- USS Dunham (destroyer)
- USS Sullivan (destroyer)
- USS Gettysburg (guided missile cruiser)
Elmer noted that the USS Gettysburg had previously shot down its own drone, and that the flotilla had been targeted five days in a row since the bombing campaign began.
A senior U.S. naval commander was quoted saying:
“From October 19, 2023, to January 19, 2024 — the Navy saw the most intense combat at sea since World War II.”
He described the USS Carney’s engagement on October 19 as the “most intense combat action by a U.S. warship since WWII.”
Economic Absurdity: A Missile for a Drone
Elmer emphasized the staggering economic disparity in this conflict:
“The U.S. is defending against drones and missiles that cost about as much as a family car, using interceptor missiles that cost $1 to $4 million each.”
Weapons deployed include:
- SM-6 interceptors: $4 million each
- Patriot missiles: $4 million each
- Tomahawk missiles: $2 million each
- Aster-30 interceptors (from European allies): $1.2–$2 million each
The estimated total spent by the U.S. on munitions alone ranges from $1.5 to $2 billion — a figure that does not include logistics, fuel, maintenance, or deployment costs. Elmer stressed the true cost is “likely far higher.”
Johnson: U.S. Naval Vulnerability in the Red Sea
Larry Johnson’s analysis adds crucial depth to this picture. He warns that the U.S. Navy is dangerously exposed in the Red Sea, operating with limited defensive capacity against a persistent and economically savvy opponent.
Each U.S. destroyer or cruiser in the region is equipped with Vertical Launch Systems (VLS), which deploy interceptor missiles. But each ship only carries around 96 VLS cells — and once fired, the vessel must return to port for reloading. These munitions cannot be restocked at sea.
“If the Houthis launch 20 drones or missiles a day, and the Navy fires two or three interceptors per threat, that’s 60 to 80 interceptors gone — nearly all of a destroyer’s supply,” Johnson explained.
Adding to the problem, U.S. stockpiles are limited. As of 2018, Johnson noted, only 660 VLS missiles were in production — a number far too small to sustain long-term operations at current firing rates. In contrast, the Houthis are firing $5,000 drones, forcing the U.S. to respond with $2 million to $4 million interceptors, creating what Johnson calls an unsustainable cost imbalance.
“It’s like having a pistol with no ammunition. What good is it?” Johnson asked. “This is catastrophic.”
He predicts the imminent withdrawal of the USS Harry S. Truman strike group from the Red Sea, without having achieved any of its objectives.
“They’re not going to defeat the Houthis in Yemen,” he concluded. “They’re not going to do it.”
Yemen Escalates as Gaza Burns
In the wake of Israel’s renewed siege on Gaza, Yemen has intensified its direct support for Palestine. Elmer reported that the Yemeni Armed Forces launched Palestine-2 ballistic missiles targeting Israeli military infrastructure, including a strike on Ben Gurion Airport, triggering red alerts across central Israel and forcing two million people into shelters.
“This is the fifth consecutive day of Yemeni attacks on Israel,” Elmer said, quoting the Yemeni military:
“‘In support of the oppressed Palestinian people in response to the massacres committed by the Zionist enemy in Gaza.’”
International Law and Resistance
International human rights expert Craig Mokhiber, former director at the UN, offered a legal and moral framework for understanding Yemen’s actions. He stated that Yemen’s blockade constitutes a lawful humanitarian intervention, rather than an act of aggression.
“They’re one of the only forces in the world actively trying to stop the genocide in Gaza,” Mokhiber said. “Their blockade targets only Israeli military and economic infrastructure. They paused during the ceasefire. They resumed only when Israel resumed its siege.”
In contrast, Mokhiber described the U.S. bombing campaign as a “crime of aggression” — illegal under international law and designed to preserve impunity for Israel’s war on Gaza.
A Symbolic and Strategic Flashpoint
This growing confrontation in the Red Sea is not merely military — it is political, legal, and symbolic. The region has become a frontline in a wider struggle over justice, sovereignty, and accountability.
John Elmer’s Resistance Report and Larry Johnson’s military critique together tell the same story: the Yemeni front is no longer a sideshow. It is a central theater in the war for Gaza — and a pivotal test for global resistance to U.S.-backed impunity.
“The war is back on,” Elmer concluded. “And the Yemeni front is no longer a sideshow. It’s a central theater in the fight for Gaza and global justice.”
