Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) continue to target US vessels and tankers violating the Strait of Hormuz blockade, as its advanced weapons program has aided its allies in Yemen to become the region’s second most feared ballistic missile power. On this episode of The Target Mint Press News’ Robert Inlakesh looks at the latest developments inflicting major blows on the international oil market.
After managing to capture the entire West Coast of Yemen last week, the Ansarallah-led government’s forces continue to close in on the strategically important cities of Marib and Taiz, largely considered the stepping stones to a takeover of Aden in the south. If the Yemeni Armed Forces succeed, they could either advance upon or negotiate to seize control of the most vital Port City currently under the control of Saudi Arabia’s proxy forces.
The city of Aden, if it falls into the hands of the Ansarallah-led government, will mean the de facto end of the Saudi-Yemen war that has been raging on since 2015. Already, the liberation of all the key islands and territory surrounding the Bab al-Mandab Strait, has spooked the Israeli leadership in Tel Aviv.
According to Israeli Hebrew media reports, Tel Aviv has not only been aiding Saudi Arabia with intelligence and targeting data, but is also considering being part of a joint air campaign against the Yemeni Armed Forces. Israeli media pundits and security officials have been repeatedly stressing the need to push Yemen’s Army away from Bab al-Mandab, arguing that their newly acquired ability to close it with such ease could have catastrophic consequences on them.
In this Monday’s edition of The Target, we also run through the latest footage surfacing from the battles raging on inside Yemen, including documentation of the capture of Mokha and other coastal cities.
Robert Inlakesh runs us through the consequences of the ongoing retaliatory ballistic missile strikes on Saudi Arabia’s military and oil infrastructure. The vital East-West Pipeline has been at least temporarily severed after extensive attacks on at least three separate pumping stations, integral to the pipelines function, one of which was totally destroyed. Without this pipeline, Riyadh is unable to export any gas via the Red Sea.
Yemen’s government in Sana’a previously announced a counter-blockade on Saudi ports, which dramatically reduced the export of oil through the Red Sea, now this process of cutting off some 6 million barrels per day of oil exports has been completed. Yet, it is not just Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure that is taking repeated hits, burdening the already struggling global oil market, its air bases are consistently being saturated with drone and missile salvos.
According to Citi Research, the projections for the price of oil is that they will rise to roughly $150 a barrel, if the attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz persist. So far, the United States has strayed away from directly participating in Riyadh’s war this time around, however, if US President Donald Trump chooses to back up his Israeli allies further down the line then the Bab al-Mandab Strait could also be closed, triggering an even sharper rise in gas prices.
The Target Stream also focuses on the excuses being provided for the current US-backed administration in Damascus that is facing nationwide protests. Demonstrations in Syria have reached a peak that has not been witnessed since the reign of deposed President Bashar al-Assad. Protesters initially reacted to a 40% spike in the price of diesel overnight, yet have escalated the complaints and are now focusing on various other elements of Syria’s ever declining economy.
