February 5, 2024 • 10 mins
The US finally hit back at the Houthis after they have conducted more than 160 attacks in the Middle East.
Talking to A&G, military analyst Mike Lyons breaks it down for us.
Hear the entire conversation in a new episode of Armstrong & Getty's Extra Large Podcast....
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
The US preparing to launch yet another round of air
strikes against Iranian back militia in the Middle East. They
followed dozens of strikes across Iraqan, Syria of Friday night
in a major response to that drone attack that killed
three American soldiers in Jordan, and with all going missile
and drone attacks from Iranian back hoofy rebels in Yemen,
the US and UK struck thirty six targets there late
(00:20):
Saturday as well.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
US officials restate they're trying to degrade the capabilities of
Iranian back militias in this region without triggering a wider war. Crucially,
not one US strike into Iran itself.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
So according to the White House, the strikes that we
talked about Friday morning and the strikes that happened over
the weekend aren't related really at all. One was a
retaliation for attack and our troops and kill on our soldiers.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
The other one was for the Houthis attack and the ships.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
But I gotta believe it's all died together in a Hey,
if you mess with us, We're going to hurt you bad.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Stop messing with us message, because whoever you are and
whatever you're cause By.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
The way, Iran has put out a message in the
last twenty four hours, don't you dare touch that spyship,
which is kind of interesting given that the Wall Street
Journal editorial board and we've played some clips of a
variety of people saying the first thing we ought to do,
this was a week ago, is sink that damn ship
and put at the bottom of the ocean.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Complicated situation, no matter how we try to simplify it.
To discuss all of the above, please welcome Mike Lions,
military analysts for CNN among other outlets.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Mike, it's always.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
A pleasure of what's your take on the latest e.
Speaker 6 (01:31):
Everyone, guys. I think it's a good start. The terms
to be re established will take some time. I think
that it's all about the consequences becoming so great that
the other side doesn't think that they can attack. We saw, though,
what no one's talking about is an attack that was
made from the Shia militia groups against a Syrian militia
group that we've been aligned with, So that could be
(01:52):
the next target for these individuals, so they could go
after There are some of these groups that we're working
with local groups in order defeat isis there inside of Syria,
and you could see the Iraqi SA moist groups starting
to attack them instead of attack Ranian forces, So we
might have to defend some of our allies there on
(02:14):
the ground inside of Tierra. So I thought that was
an interesting development that took place in the last twenty
four hours. But overall, I think there are two separate lanes. Now.
Clearly the Houthis were going after them proactively, which is
another thing that's great. We're getting them before they launched
their missiles or Ani see ship and she missiles us.
And then I thought what we did was good from
a capability perspective to take away the capability, and we're
(02:34):
going to continue to do it.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Well, is there anything you would like to see next
that you think would really send the message of don't
mess with us?
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Well, I think that you know, the second that we
find one of those Shea militia leaders that's that went
into Iran, which is clearly a red line. We're not
going to attack anywhere inside Iran. Now you know the plague,
the sandboxes Syria and Iraq. The second that person crosses
and steps foot back in a rock, I'd like to
see a cruise missile with their name on. It's heading
(03:04):
right for them. I think, I think we have to
go after the leadership of these organizations, and whether that's
in six months like we did with Celemony, I think
that's that's a good solution as well. So that's that's
kind of the next step. We'll degrade some of this
capability that they have. So there's this land bridge logistically,
if you take, if you'll get a map, draw straight
line from Iran through a rack into Syria that gets
(03:26):
logistics and supplies along kind of road networks and supply
lines that there. So we've done a pretty good job
of destroying that. We went after it initially a few
months ago, but now you know, the kind of attack
that we made with you know, eighty five separate targets
is a super significant set back for them.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Mike, as a conservative talk show host, my job is
to just say Joe Biden's week and a bad leader,
and that's why we're doing this, that and the other.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
But I have a feeling there's more going on than
just that.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
And I read some analysis in the Wall Street journalier're
talking about how the new guy who is the CUDS
for leader, his name's Connie. He is the kind of
the guy who runs the Syria I'm sorry, the Shee
militias and the you know, their proxies, and that they
allege that he doesn't have as.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Much control of them as Sola Moni had.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
So I just I find myself picturing Iran through back
channel diplomacy saying to the US, look, we're trying to
rain these maniacs in. We don't really have control. Hit
them not us. Is that possible, Yeah.
Speaker 6 (04:27):
It might, There might be something to that the back
channel that is going on right now. We kind of
made the mistake by taking Saddamus saying that when we
did obviously and we saw the balance of power tip
and I think that the Iranians are concerned that they
want to stay in power. They have their own internal
struggles with their people inside running an authoritative government that
they do, so that wouldn't surprise me from a back
(04:49):
channel perspective. That's the message that they're sending is to
you know, go after these d militia groups because we
can't seem to get control of them. That's not to
say they still want, you know, Israel to win. They
don't want the United States to have a tremendous influence there,
but they don't want it to escalate from that perspective
because they know if they escalate them, they're going to
have internal problems gathering an army doing what they have
(05:10):
to do to fight an external enemy like the United States.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Well, how about the other side of it, since we
know that Iran at least an ideology is aligned with them,
and it's certainly arming them and funding them.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
You hit Iran hard, and they.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Whether they have control of them or not, they work
really hard to try to rain them in because they
don't want damage done to them. And do you agree
would sinking that ship, as a lot of people have
argued that spy ship there in the in the Red Sea,
would sink in that be an attack on Iran in
your mind, I think it would.
Speaker 6 (05:39):
If you put the shoe on the other foot, if
if somebody sank one of our ships, I think we
would excellent points as an active war. So I mean
not again always looking through the eye the lens of
what's going on. You know, the attacks that were made
for those those that were that were shot at the
eighty five targets, I'm sure they thought that the United
States is at war with them there as well. I
(06:00):
think that that ship has got to be an overt
threat to our security. What I don't like is, you
know the fact that our politicians are still not all
behind this. Everything still still the War Powers Act, and
everything is still an authorization U Samilitary force from from
nine to eleven.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Still unbelievable. I mean, that's just unbelievable, exactly.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
And and and you know, it's it's a big deal
to launch the super Hornet off of aircraft carry and
go hit a target in a sovereign country, whether they
are our enemy or not, without you know, any not
the legal side of it, but just kind of them
all side, especially Yemen. Yemen is one of the poorest
countries in the world. Now they have capacity. Again, we
allowed this to happen. We you know, we we allowed
them build up to happen, We allowed the arms to go,
(06:41):
and we allowed all those and now we're the situation
where we have to take care of it and the
result is not going to be good for that country.
That country might never get.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Outs feet again, yeah man.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And then you know, if I get on this side
of the argument that you were just referring to, for
your average young many who is you know, too young
for to even remember nine to eleven or any of
that stuff. They just take the United States rerets of
their lives because missiles came into their country.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
Yeah, and they've been at civil war now for the
past almost ten years, the Houthis versus the former sana
government that was there. The Saudis tried to defeat them,
weren't able to and that was another classic proxy war
with an our ally being Saudi Arabia Orn on the
side of the Houthis, and they harmed them very well
because they have again thousands of these anti ship missiles
that a couple of weeks ago, that missile got to
(07:30):
win the like seven seconds of one of those destroyers.
I mean, that's what they're trying to do. They win
the lottery if they get one missile through these defense systems.
And they still haven't done things like swarm drones. All
their drones are one white suicide drones. They all leave
and they have no return address. And so again if
they swarm them, if they do something and they hit
a US destroyer or a carrier or a cruiser or
something in the Red Sea, that's a complete lottery win
(07:53):
for them.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
But then we would go nuts, wouldn't we. I mean,
that's a hell of a lot of nuts.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
Yeah, But I'm talking on their side. So like anything,
we have this tremendous air power, naval, sea power, but
nothing changes until someone shows up on the ground. And
so you know, that's what the armies are for now.
I'm not advocating out on any level, but again, we
can bomb them into submission, but as we've seen, it
doesn't it's not going to change anything. So unless we're
(08:23):
willing to do something, so yeah, we would go nuts
for sure, and it would be a disaster, and it
would would. It's that's why we're playing with fire here,
and that's why I think I think that's where we're
going more proactive with regard to attacking these these sites.
We saw the Sentcom report that they took four of
them out before they even got off the ground. I
think that's what we're going to be doing.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
You know, Mike, I'd love to see you side by
side on a panel within Economists to address the free
navigation of the seas and what it means. I was
reading another piece that was dealing with the fact that
piracy was like the number one issue asking voters in
seventeen ninety three, what's the year number one issue? It's
that piracy was huge, hence Jefferson and the Barbary pirates
(09:01):
and the rest of it. And we have had an
incredibly long period of the free navigation of the seas
for the purposes of commerce. It's lifted everybody on our
standard of living and it's been so peaceful so long.
People forget that that's an enormous deal economically.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
You know, it is. I've talked to my son about it,
because he's been deployed to that part of the world,
you know, on a destroyer and they peel off and
they go and either help try to protect ships or
go after ships that have pirated others. It is, and
it gets back to gunboat diplomacy again, and we need
this is where we need allies. I think that's the
best part of the Houthy attack plan right now is
(09:41):
the Great Britain's on our side, and the European countries
and some of some of them that don't have navies,
but it's going to take larger navies, more ships in
order to make sure that that transports. And they're they've
shut down suic Canal that Egypt is hurting, not because
of that obviously, so again, the economics behind what's going
on hasn't impacted yet, but I think show.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Mike Lions, military analyst for CNN. Mike, we appreciate the
time very much.
Speaker 6 (10:04):
Thanks, Thanks guys for me Armstrong and Getty
The US preparing to launch yet another round of air
strikes against Iranian back militia in the Middle East. They
followed dozens of strikes across Iraqan, Syria of Friday night
in a major response to that drone attack that killed
three American soldiers in Jordan, and with all going missile
and drone attacks from Iranian back hoofy rebels in Yemen,
the US and UK struck thirty six targets there late
(00:20):
Saturday as well.
Speaker 2 (00:22):
US officials restate they're trying to degrade the capabilities of
Iranian back militias in this region without triggering a wider war. Crucially,
not one US strike into Iran itself.
Speaker 3 (00:33):
So according to the White House, the strikes that we
talked about Friday morning and the strikes that happened over
the weekend aren't related really at all. One was a
retaliation for attack and our troops and kill on our soldiers.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
The other one was for the Houthis attack and the ships.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
But I gotta believe it's all died together in a Hey,
if you mess with us, We're going to hurt you bad.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Stop messing with us message, because whoever you are and
whatever you're cause By.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
The way, Iran has put out a message in the
last twenty four hours, don't you dare touch that spyship,
which is kind of interesting given that the Wall Street
Journal editorial board and we've played some clips of a
variety of people saying the first thing we ought to do,
this was a week ago, is sink that damn ship
and put at the bottom of the ocean.
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Wow.
Speaker 5 (01:17):
Complicated situation, no matter how we try to simplify it.
To discuss all of the above, please welcome Mike Lions,
military analysts for CNN among other outlets.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Mike, it's always.
Speaker 5 (01:27):
A pleasure of what's your take on the latest e.
Speaker 6 (01:31):
Everyone, guys. I think it's a good start. The terms
to be re established will take some time. I think
that it's all about the consequences becoming so great that
the other side doesn't think that they can attack. We saw, though,
what no one's talking about is an attack that was
made from the Shia militia groups against a Syrian militia
group that we've been aligned with, So that could be
(01:52):
the next target for these individuals, so they could go
after There are some of these groups that we're working
with local groups in order defeat isis there inside of Syria,
and you could see the Iraqi SA moist groups starting
to attack them instead of attack Ranian forces, So we
might have to defend some of our allies there on
(02:14):
the ground inside of Tierra. So I thought that was
an interesting development that took place in the last twenty
four hours. But overall, I think there are two separate lanes. Now.
Clearly the Houthis were going after them proactively, which is
another thing that's great. We're getting them before they launched
their missiles or Ani see ship and she missiles us.
And then I thought what we did was good from
a capability perspective to take away the capability, and we're
(02:34):
going to continue to do it.
Speaker 3 (02:35):
Well, is there anything you would like to see next
that you think would really send the message of don't
mess with us?
Speaker 6 (02:43):
Well, I think that you know, the second that we
find one of those Shea militia leaders that's that went
into Iran, which is clearly a red line. We're not
going to attack anywhere inside Iran. Now you know the plague,
the sandboxes Syria and Iraq. The second that person crosses
and steps foot back in a rock, I'd like to
see a cruise missile with their name on. It's heading
(03:04):
right for them. I think, I think we have to
go after the leadership of these organizations, and whether that's
in six months like we did with Celemony, I think
that's that's a good solution as well. So that's that's
kind of the next step. We'll degrade some of this
capability that they have. So there's this land bridge logistically,
if you take, if you'll get a map, draw straight
line from Iran through a rack into Syria that gets
(03:26):
logistics and supplies along kind of road networks and supply
lines that there. So we've done a pretty good job
of destroying that. We went after it initially a few
months ago, but now you know, the kind of attack
that we made with you know, eighty five separate targets
is a super significant set back for them.
Speaker 5 (03:42):
Mike, as a conservative talk show host, my job is
to just say Joe Biden's week and a bad leader,
and that's why we're doing this, that and the other.
Speaker 4 (03:50):
But I have a feeling there's more going on than
just that.
Speaker 5 (03:54):
And I read some analysis in the Wall Street journalier're
talking about how the new guy who is the CUDS
for leader, his name's Connie. He is the kind of
the guy who runs the Syria I'm sorry, the Shee
militias and the you know, their proxies, and that they
allege that he doesn't have as.
Speaker 4 (04:13):
Much control of them as Sola Moni had.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
So I just I find myself picturing Iran through back
channel diplomacy saying to the US, look, we're trying to
rain these maniacs in. We don't really have control. Hit
them not us. Is that possible, Yeah.
Speaker 6 (04:27):
It might, There might be something to that the back
channel that is going on right now. We kind of
made the mistake by taking Saddamus saying that when we
did obviously and we saw the balance of power tip
and I think that the Iranians are concerned that they
want to stay in power. They have their own internal
struggles with their people inside running an authoritative government that
they do, so that wouldn't surprise me from a back
(04:49):
channel perspective. That's the message that they're sending is to
you know, go after these d militia groups because we
can't seem to get control of them. That's not to
say they still want, you know, Israel to win. They
don't want the United States to have a tremendous influence there,
but they don't want it to escalate from that perspective
because they know if they escalate them, they're going to
have internal problems gathering an army doing what they have
(05:10):
to do to fight an external enemy like the United States.
Speaker 3 (05:13):
Well, how about the other side of it, since we
know that Iran at least an ideology is aligned with them,
and it's certainly arming them and funding them.
Speaker 4 (05:21):
You hit Iran hard, and they.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
Whether they have control of them or not, they work
really hard to try to rain them in because they
don't want damage done to them. And do you agree
would sinking that ship, as a lot of people have
argued that spy ship there in the in the Red Sea,
would sink in that be an attack on Iran in
your mind, I think it would.
Speaker 6 (05:39):
If you put the shoe on the other foot, if
if somebody sank one of our ships, I think we
would excellent points as an active war. So I mean
not again always looking through the eye the lens of
what's going on. You know, the attacks that were made
for those those that were that were shot at the
eighty five targets, I'm sure they thought that the United
States is at war with them there as well. I
(06:00):
think that that ship has got to be an overt
threat to our security. What I don't like is, you
know the fact that our politicians are still not all
behind this. Everything still still the War Powers Act, and
everything is still an authorization U Samilitary force from from
nine to eleven.
Speaker 4 (06:15):
Still unbelievable. I mean, that's just unbelievable, exactly.
Speaker 6 (06:19):
And and and you know, it's it's a big deal
to launch the super Hornet off of aircraft carry and
go hit a target in a sovereign country, whether they
are our enemy or not, without you know, any not
the legal side of it, but just kind of them
all side, especially Yemen. Yemen is one of the poorest
countries in the world. Now they have capacity. Again, we
allowed this to happen. We you know, we we allowed
them build up to happen, We allowed the arms to go,
(06:41):
and we allowed all those and now we're the situation
where we have to take care of it and the
result is not going to be good for that country.
That country might never get.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
Outs feet again, yeah man.
Speaker 3 (06:49):
And then you know, if I get on this side
of the argument that you were just referring to, for
your average young many who is you know, too young
for to even remember nine to eleven or any of
that stuff. They just take the United States rerets of
their lives because missiles came into their country.
Speaker 6 (07:08):
Yeah, and they've been at civil war now for the
past almost ten years, the Houthis versus the former sana
government that was there. The Saudis tried to defeat them,
weren't able to and that was another classic proxy war
with an our ally being Saudi Arabia Orn on the
side of the Houthis, and they harmed them very well
because they have again thousands of these anti ship missiles
that a couple of weeks ago, that missile got to
(07:30):
win the like seven seconds of one of those destroyers.
I mean, that's what they're trying to do. They win
the lottery if they get one missile through these defense systems.
And they still haven't done things like swarm drones. All
their drones are one white suicide drones. They all leave
and they have no return address. And so again if
they swarm them, if they do something and they hit
a US destroyer or a carrier or a cruiser or
something in the Red Sea, that's a complete lottery win
(07:53):
for them.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
But then we would go nuts, wouldn't we. I mean,
that's a hell of a lot of nuts.
Speaker 6 (08:01):
Yeah, But I'm talking on their side. So like anything,
we have this tremendous air power, naval, sea power, but
nothing changes until someone shows up on the ground. And
so you know, that's what the armies are for now.
I'm not advocating out on any level, but again, we
can bomb them into submission, but as we've seen, it
doesn't it's not going to change anything. So unless we're
(08:23):
willing to do something, so yeah, we would go nuts
for sure, and it would be a disaster, and it
would would. It's that's why we're playing with fire here,
and that's why I think I think that's where we're
going more proactive with regard to attacking these these sites.
We saw the Sentcom report that they took four of
them out before they even got off the ground. I
think that's what we're going to be doing.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
You know, Mike, I'd love to see you side by
side on a panel within Economists to address the free
navigation of the seas and what it means. I was
reading another piece that was dealing with the fact that
piracy was like the number one issue asking voters in
seventeen ninety three, what's the year number one issue? It's
that piracy was huge, hence Jefferson and the Barbary pirates
(09:01):
and the rest of it. And we have had an
incredibly long period of the free navigation of the seas
for the purposes of commerce. It's lifted everybody on our
standard of living and it's been so peaceful so long.
People forget that that's an enormous deal economically.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
You know, it is. I've talked to my son about it,
because he's been deployed to that part of the world,
you know, on a destroyer and they peel off and
they go and either help try to protect ships or
go after ships that have pirated others. It is, and
it gets back to gunboat diplomacy again, and we need
this is where we need allies. I think that's the
best part of the Houthy attack plan right now is
(09:41):
the Great Britain's on our side, and the European countries
and some of some of them that don't have navies,
but it's going to take larger navies, more ships in
order to make sure that that transports. And they're they've
shut down suic Canal that Egypt is hurting, not because
of that obviously, so again, the economics behind what's going
on hasn't impacted yet, but I think show.
Speaker 5 (10:01):
Mike Lions, military analyst for CNN. Mike, we appreciate the
time very much.
Speaker 6 (10:04):
Thanks, Thanks guys for me Armstrong and Getty
Hosts And Creators
Joe Getty
Jack Armstrong
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