Transcript [00:00] Iran just opened up another front in the [00:03] fight against the United States, [00:05] activating their one remaining effective [00:07] proxy, basically for the first time in [00:10] the course of this current war. And as [00:12] we'll see in a moment, they've actually [00:13] played this pretty smart, setting up a [00:16] trap for the United States and for [00:19] allies in the region. [00:22] In the early morning hours of last [00:24] Thursday, gunfire and explosions [00:27] shattered the silence in the city of [00:29] Mocha in Yemen. It wasn't long before [00:32] vehicles carrying dozens of Houthi [00:33] terrorists were streaming into the city, [00:35] taking control of one neighborhood after [00:38] another. The city, already weakened by [00:41] days of unprecedented missile and [00:43] artillery attacks, fell almost without a [00:46] fight. This attack was the beginning of [00:48] a massive offensive launched by the [00:50] Houthis to further expand their control [00:52] of territory in Yemen. But as we'll see [00:55] in a moment, this wasn't just about [00:57] territory. This attack was launched at [00:59] the explicit command and with the [01:01] support of the IRGC. And the main target [01:04] of the attack wasn't strictly territory [01:07] in Yemen. Yes, large swads of territory [01:10] were in fact captured by the Houthis in [01:12] Yemen, but something else happened as [01:14] well. A large-scale attack was launched [01:17] on strategic military bases in Saudi [01:19] Arabia and two islands in the middle of [01:22] the Red Sea shipping route were captured [01:25] as well. Publicly, the Houthis claimed [01:27] the attack is in response to Saudi air [01:29] strikes against the Houthis that have [01:30] been happening over the course of last [01:32] week. But when you dig a little deeper, [01:33] it seems there's something more [01:35] strategic happening as well. The [01:37] Straight of Hormuz is still a tough [01:39] place to ship oil through. Even though [01:41] the US has been conducting extensive [01:43] operations to clear up the straight, [01:45] opening the route for oil shipments, [01:47] many ships are still hesitant to make [01:49] the trip. This means that Saudi Arabia [01:52] has had to rely more heavily on the Red [01:54] Sea shipping route uh to transport their [01:56] oil exports. The route has still been [01:59] dangerous due to the threat of the [02:00] Houthis firing missiles at transport [02:02] ships, but for the most part, Saudi air [02:05] defenses are able to provide some level [02:07] of protection for incoming threats. That [02:10] is until now, as you can see in these [02:13] maps here. But capturing these two [02:15] islands in the middle of the straight, [02:16] the Houthis have effectively made any [02:18] type of Saudi transport significantly [02:21] more dangerous. Now, instead of a few [02:23] minutes warning when a missile is [02:25] launched from Houthi controlled Yemen [02:27] toward a ship, it's possible there may [02:29] now only be a few seconds if the [02:31] missiles are launched from these [02:34] islands. This is obviously a carefully [02:36] coordinated effort by Iran. The Houthis [02:39] are one of Iran's last surviving proxies [02:41] that so far have been held in restraint [02:43] by Iran over the course of this current [02:46] war. But now that is changing. Just over [02:49] the last little bit, we've seen a [02:51] strategic military advisers from the [02:52] IRGC flying into Yemen to work with the [02:55] Houthis. And it's hard to say what kind [02:57] of weapon support and tactical [02:59] information they might now be receiving. [03:02] And if Iran were to play a remaining [03:04] card now against the United States, this [03:06] really is the card to play. Oil is one [03:09] of the few sore spots remaining for the [03:11] United States because with every gas [03:13] hike at the pump, public demand and the [03:16] war against Iran grows. So the strategy [03:19] is simple. Iran sends resources to the [03:22] Houthis for them to mount the offensive [03:24] against Saudi Arabia, capturing [03:26] strategic locations in the Red Sea [03:28] shipping lane. Now either the Saudis [03:30] must act to defend themselves and their [03:32] interests or the US will have to step in [03:35] and do it for them. Either way, [03:37] attention and resources get drawn away [03:39] from the Iranian front. And either way, [03:41] the price of oil probably rises in the [03:44] global markets. And so far, for whatever [03:48] reason, the Saudis seem either unwilling [03:50] or unable to defend their interests. The [03:53] attack launched by the Houthis on the [03:55] Saudi air base supposedly caused an [03:57] extensive amount of damage. Dozens of [03:59] ballistic missiles and drones landed at [04:00] strategic locations on the base, [04:02] destroying aircraft hangers, radars, [04:04] runways, and ammunition depots. Although [04:07] that information is according to reports [04:09] by the Houthis themselves, so it's hard [04:11] to say if that's accurate or not. But so [04:13] far, the Saudis have not denied the [04:15] report. And this attack is on the heels [04:18] of the damage inflicted by the Houthis [04:20] last week, where they also launched [04:22] missiles and drones at Saudi energy [04:23] infrastructure, wounding over 70 people [04:26] and causing fires at oil facilities. And [04:28] in response to the attack on the air [04:30] base and the capturing of these islands [04:32] in the shipping lane, so far, the Saudi [04:34] military has hesitated to launch a [04:36] response. Instead, the crown prince, [04:39] Muhammad bin Salman, called President [04:41] Trump twice last week, urging the United [04:43] States to launch air strikes against the [04:45] Houthis to destroy their dominance over [04:48] the shipping lane. We'll get into [04:50] Trump's response along with what this [04:51] means for the Iran war in a second. But [04:54] first, guys, Christianity is in trouble [04:58] right now in several ways. Our faith [05:00] gets attacked and watered down every [05:02] day, and a lot of young people are [05:03] walking away from the faith they grew up [05:06] with. That's exactly why we wrote a book [05:08] called Facing Jerusalem. It comes out of [05:11] years we've spent living and working in [05:13] Israel. It has 4.8 out of five-star [05:16] ratings from readers and it's short, [05:18] just 122 pages, so you can get through [05:20] it in a weekend. Like everything in our [05:22] store, every dollar goes straight to [05:24] helping our volunteer work on the ground [05:26] in Israel. Grab your copy. The link is [05:28] in the description below. So, in [05:31] response to the Saudi crown prince's [05:33] urging for the United States to get [05:35] involved, President Trump said he's [05:37] going to stay out of this for now. And I [05:39] think there are several reasons for [05:41] this. The first one is just the plain [05:43] and simple fact that the US military is [05:45] stretched really thin right now. Over [05:47] the course of this year, the US has used [05:49] an enormous amount of firepower against [05:51] Iran, and we've seen ships damaged, uh, [05:54] drones downed, and also refueling [05:56] aircraft lost in accidents. And while [05:59] it's very possible the US could relocate [06:01] ships and aircraft closer to Yemen and [06:03] begin bombing Houthi positions, it would [06:06] divert our resources from Iran, which is [06:08] exactly what the IRGC are probably [06:11] betting on. Which leads us to the other [06:14] reason President Trump probably doesn't [06:16] want to get involved. These days, the [06:19] Arab countries around Iran seem all too [06:22] eager for the United States to fight [06:24] their wars for them. And Saudi Arabia [06:27] isn't any different. Saudi Arabia is [06:30] ranked as number 25 out of 145 countries [06:34] in the 2026 Global Firepower Index. And [06:37] if they were to put their mind to it, [06:39] they could unleash some serious damage [06:41] on the Houthis. But over the past 15 [06:44] years, the Saudis have become more and [06:45] more dependent on the United States, [06:47] leaving them more and more unwilling to [06:49] take any risk in a fight against the [06:52] Houthis. But while there is economical [06:54] and military interests in hindering a [06:57] Houthi advance in the region from the [06:58] United States, overall I think Trump is [07:01] wanting to push the Saudis to fight for [07:04] themselves. Saudi Arabia honestly hasn't [07:06] been the firmst of friends with the [07:07] United States. We do share some [07:09] interests and we have been pretty [07:11] friendly to each other over the past [07:12] couple of years, but overall they've [07:14] been waffling. And I think Trump sees [07:17] that maybe it's time for the Saudis to [07:19] stand on their own two feet and choose [07:21] who they want to work with. Either fight [07:24] for themselves and actually muster the [07:26] courage to deal with the Houthis [07:28] themselves or maybe come to a place [07:30] where they finally throw their hat [07:32] entirely in the ring with the United [07:34] States. Because there's also the fact [07:36] that the Saudis have just recently [07:37] signed a mutual defense pact with both [07:40] Pakistan and Turkey. So theoretically, [07:43] both of those countries should be coming [07:44] to the Saudis aid. Although strangely, [07:47] Pakistan has already said that they [07:49] won't be getting involved. But either [07:51] way though, even though this could mean [07:53] oil prices rising even more globally, it [07:56] seems like Trump is wanting to give it [07:58] some more time to see what the Saudis [08:00] will do. This is a tough call to make [08:03] and a very smart move by Iran. Like I [08:06] said at the beginning, oil is really [08:08] where the US is most vulnerable right [08:10] now. And with midterm elections coming [08:12] up, huge swaths of independents are [08:14] currently looking at their wallets when [08:16] deciding who to vote for. And either [08:18] Trump takes action to divert resources [08:21] away from the fight in Iran to free up [08:24] this shipping lane in the Red Sea, or he [08:26] lets the Saudis fight for themselves. [08:29] Either way, this is a trap set by Iran [08:31] to increase oil prices and possibly [08:34] bring this conflict a little closer to [08:37] an ending that isn't quite as bad for [08:38] them as it possibly could have been. [08:42] Guys, don't forget to pick up your copy [08:44] of our Facing Jerusalem book if you [08:46] haven't already. You can scan the QR [08:48] code on screen or click the link in the [08:51] description. If you'd like to help this [08:52] video reach more people, click the [08:54] thumbs up button, leave a comment, and [08:56] subscribe if you haven't already. As [09:00] always, thanks for watching.
