Houthi soldiers stand on the American and Israeli flags while operating drones during a military exercise near the Yemeni-Saudi (European) border
Tension in the Red Sea, with the US and UK responding to Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the name of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, is all evidence of regional instability.
A violent U.S.-backed response to the Houthis was inevitable, as Israel's devastating assault on Gaza entered its fourth month.
Houthi attacks targeting cargo ships bound for Israel alone would have serious consequences on a global scale if they end up blocking navigation in this vital hub, forcing the United States to take a form of geopolitical balance.
Through intense bombardment of Houthi positions, who in the past have shown great resilience, the United States is playing in favor of the group, which can use this confrontation to justify its iron grip on territory, according to Le Monde.
The difficulty faced by the United States in establishing a maritime coalition aimed at preventing these attacks shows the extent of the existing obstacles, and the embarrassment experienced by neighboring countries, led by Saudi Arabia, reflects the fear of an escalation that will only lead to more losses, especially since Riyadh is only thinking of reaching a truce, in preparation for disengaging from the Yemeni dilemma in which it has been involved since 2015, according to the newspaper.
This has been the subject of difficult negotiations — currently pending — with Sanaa as well as with the recognized international Yemeni government, backed by the Saudis, and any slippage would serve the interests of Iran, which militarily supports the Houthi movement ideologically close to Tehran.
Yemen, mired in a decade-long civil war that has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, will also not survive the disruption of navigation in the Red Sea, where food aid on which most of the population depends passes through the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah.
These tensions clearly point to regional instability that the war on Gaza has multiplied 10-fold, and it underscores many humanitarian considerations strongly calling for an end to a war that makes this narrow strip of land unlivable not only for Hamas leaders, but for all Palestinian civilians trapped there.
Source : Le Monde