Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

bbc.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

391–400 of 679 posts

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#391

Post by lenkite »

737min wrote: post #140

More properly called Ansar Allah, supported by Iranian regime, and guilty of war crimes against everyone from fellow Yemenis to people thousands of miles away. Women, gays and infidels are pubished by Houthi police.

> Women, gays and infidels are pubished by Houthi police.

The EU & US don't have ANY issues supporting and financing governments that punish gays and infidels. Hint: New Syrian government, Saudi government (which is also famous for publicly beheading gays)

So why not accept the Houthis too ? Otherwise, my apologies, your stance just sounds like the usual disgusting Western sanctimonious hypocrisy.

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#392

Post by AnthonyMouse »

pphysch wrote: post #152
ericmay wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

Why can Israel have a nuclear weapon? It is also an insanely violent ethno-theocratic regime.

Under what scenario would they use it against New York or Washington?

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#393

Post by 5upplied_demand »

dgellow wrote: post #279
giardini wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IMO it is a good thing that the USA is no longer paying for (among others): - NATO - Maintaining security on the high seas for other than USA shipping, - tariffs imposed by other countries (yes, other countries have been imposing tariffs for decades): https://wjno.iheart.com/content/2025-03-17-qa-how-many-count... The USA can use the money saved for its own citizens (possibly even lowering their taxes!)

> The USA can use the money saved for its own citizens How is that going? Any progress there? Are US citizens richer than they were before?

> Are US citizens richer than they were before?

Some of them certainly are richer, specifically people with the last name Trump.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/13/trump-presid...

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#394

Post by badc0ffee »

nwellnhof wrote: post #347
mmooss wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't announce their secret nuclear weapons programs before they are complete (though they are sometimes discovered), but some countries have violated international law and developed them, precisely to protect their sovereignty: - North Korea - Israel - India - Pakistan All retain their sovereignty, though I can't prove any causal effect and certainly nuclear weapons isn't the only cause. Others have pursued the…

> Ukraine gave up their nuclear weapons Ukraine never had nuclear weapons. Russia is the sole legal successor of the USSR and these were all Russian nukes on Ukrainian territory. > in exchange for peace from Russia There isn't a single mention of nuclear weapons in the Budapest Memorandum.

> Ukraine never had nuclear weapons. Russia is the sole legal successor of the USSR and these were all Russian nukes on Ukrainian territory.

Structuring the breakup so that the nukes are Russia's is not really different than Ukraine giving up the nukes on its territory.

Where did they draw the line? Obviously not all USSR assets are now Russian assets, as Ukraine still has (or had) its own stockpile of Soviet era weapons, and other things like Soviet era airfields.

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#395

Post by ericd »

lenkite wrote: post #351
737min wrote: post #180

Ansar Allah (Houthis) is a terrible Islamist group that commits warcrimws against both Yemenis and people thousands of miles away. Here’s just one example, executing men for gayness: https://www.hrw.org/news/2024/03/27/yemen-houthis-sentence-m... “In addition to death sentences that include crucifixion and stoning, the Houthi court sentenced 23 men to prison for periods of up to 10 years. Three of them were also sent…

> Ansar Allah (Houthis) is a terrible Islamist group that commits warcrimws ... The Syrian President and current Western/Israeli "good boy" - belongs to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which has committed warcrimes which make the Houthis look like choir boys. He was former Al-Qaeda too with a multi-million dollar bounty. Done an utterly ridiculous number of beheadings, chaining & rape of women, torture, the whole galore of work…

Geopolitics is way too complicated for such black and white thinking. Do you know who amongst the governments of those countries decided to back this Syrian president? I certainly don't. What percentage of the (huge) populations that you're damning as "deeply disgusting, sanctimonious hypocrites" do you think know who the current Syrian president is, his history, know who amongst their governments backed him, voted for the people who backed him? Humans just physically can't keep track of everything, especially things so far outside of their daily life and physical experience. You can't reasonably hold them responsible for everything bad that happens in the world that their countries contributed to, especially things that are entirely abstract for them.

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#396

Post by lopsotronic »

kryogen1c wrote: post #318
bhouston wrote: post #151

The Houthis created a fake audio of a major Yemeni commander telling his troops to retreat which was subsequently amplified on Twitter/X, telegram, etc. Apparently, this helped the Houthis advance quickly as the opposition forces were in disarray. https://x.com/BashaReport/status/2097862335494795579

Can't read the Twitter link, but that sounds made up. Where in the battlefield decision making process are they listening to social media recordings to make combat decisions?

If it was involving a reasonably solid military I would agree.

Sauds, on the other hand . . .

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#397

Post by anon7725 »

ericmay wrote: post #146
softwaredoug wrote: post #97

My understanding is we haven’t gotten to full Hormuz apocalypse mode because the Chinese have a ton of stockpiles. And the Red Sea has been an option. Those conditions seem to be changing.

[flagged]

"We have seen what happened with Venezuela, but at least Mexico and Canada can somewhat keep a lid on it. Which is above and beyond what they owe the rest of us since they did not create that problem. The United States government is ideological in a way that westerners don't really understand. Trump is too via his desires regarding Greenland and Canada but the American system isn't too alien to our own views - they play tennis and vacation in Europe and all that stuff. Their government is simply not interested in the things that you and I are interested in."

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#398

Post by sentientlaserbe »

LtWorf wrote: post #343
Frieren wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> time the gasoline price shock right to the midterm elections. Donald Trump can end this at any time if he wants. It would have been better to not have started it, thou. Less killing of innocent people, less spending on weapons, better mental health for USA soldiers... And why is China suddenly at fault for America's actions?

He can't. Bibi is in charge.

Partially true. Seems most likely that Trump didn't like the Iranian provisions for reparations to end the war. A hard stance they've taken, one Trump would never go for (because of how incompetent it would make him look), and here we are.

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#399

Post by cmrdporcupine »

bijowo1676 wrote: post #123
softwaredoug wrote: post #97

My understanding is we haven’t gotten to full Hormuz apocalypse mode because the Chinese have a ton of stockpiles. And the Red Sea has been an option. Those conditions seem to be changing.

the reason China was using stockpiles is they want to time the gasoline price shock right to the midterm elections. The moment they stop using stockpiles and start purchasing the prices will jump

It's so amazing to watch people (presumably Americans) over and over make everything about American domestic politics. That the only way to explain Trump's behaviour is on the domestic terms that Americans know and are comfortable with.

I see this over and over again with the Canada stuff. Or Greenland stuff. Not taking it seriously because "oh that's just Trump deflecting cuz of [Epstein|Midterms|etc]." Meanwhile the actual blast radius here is far far far outside of the domestic arena.

When will people just take this guy at his word? He says he wants to conquer or do X Y and Z. That's it. He said those things. Believe him. Stop trying to make it about yourself. (And also he wants to make personal money off manipulating the stock market and oil prices.)

It's not a good look, esp to the victims of Trump outside the US who have no power to vote in American elections and yet are victims of American power.

Re: Houthis 'take control' of key island in global shipping route

#400

Post by qlte »

nwellnhof wrote: post #347
mmooss wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They don't announce their secret nuclear weapons programs before they are complete (though they are sometimes discovered), but some countries have violated international law and developed them, precisely to protect their sovereignty: - North Korea - Israel - India - Pakistan All retain their sovereignty, though I can't prove any causal effect and certainly nuclear weapons isn't the only cause. Others have pursued the…

> Ukraine gave up their nuclear weapons Ukraine never had nuclear weapons. Russia is the sole legal successor of the USSR and these were all Russian nukes on Ukrainian territory. > in exchange for peace from Russia There isn't a single mention of nuclear weapons in the Budapest Memorandum.

This is over simplified to the point of being misleading/wrong. Russia was the legal successor of the USSR for purposes of diplomatic continuity, but the other Soviet successor states divided portions of the Soviet military/equipment, split Soviet debt obligations, etc on a case by case basis.
Post reply on HN