Iranian Missiles Threaten Freedom of Navigation in Red Sea

Iran’s air force began a series of exercises Monday to test and showcase its air defense missile, radar and related units. The drills were designed to demonstrate the Islamic Republic’s ability to “counter any airspace incursion by the enemies,” according to one Iranian general. In related news, the Islamist terror militia and Iranian proxy Hamas test-fired a long-range missile into the Mediterranean Sea Monday.

Since the beginning of October 2016, the Houthi-Yemeni conflict has assumed a new naval and international dimension that could endanger civilian freedom of navigation in the Red Sea’s Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which serves as a gateway for oil tankers headed to Europe through the Suez Canal. The Houthis are backed and armed by Iran; the Yemen army is backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition.