Link to article: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2446441/middle-east
On January 27th, the US and Britain carried out another round of strikes in Yemen, striking an underground Houthi storage site and other capabilities of the opposing force.The Houthis are a newly labeled terrorist group backed by Iran who are targeting attacking ships in the Red Sea, blocking off trade for countries aligned with Israel in the Israel-Hamas War. The Houthis are siding with Palestinians and have chosen the route of attacks on global shipping. These actions have thus led to global inflation and Middle East destabilization concerns. In retaliation to these attacks, the US and Britain, along with support from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, have launched strikes in 8 different locations in Yemen. ALl 8 rounds of strikes have failed to stop Houthi attacks on shipping. Biden’s strategy seems to point towards using strikes and sanctions to simply punish the Houthis and limit the danger of a larger conflict in the Middle East.
The Houthi attacks are taking advantage of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, as Yemen has direct access to the strait along with much of the water flowing into the Red Sea. This is giving the Iraqi backed forces the ability to launch ballistic missiles towards ships. These attacks are threats both regionally and globally. Looking worldwide, the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait is one of the most important geopolitical locations in the world, and helps carry many trades. The blocking done by the Houthis is restricting nearly 20% of trade and is causing countries to take their ships all the way around the south of Africa and back up to reach the Atlantic Ocean, where the strait provides straight line access. This is leading to less trade, longer time to execute trade, and ultimately weakened economies for Israel-backing countries. Regionally this could vell well lead to conflict. This is becoming an economic/military extension of the Israel-Hamas War that brings more conflict and stir to regional problems.
Looking at it as an international security issue, the United States saw involvement evident as the Houthis are restricting the nation’s trade. Not only this, but the force is backing Iran and is not restricting trade for those siding with Palestine. Therefore, the Houthis are opposing our national interests of keeping our economy stable and in the best shape possible along with our support for Israel in the Middle East. When panning over to Geopolitical motivations however, Oil and trade become the biggest factors. The United States consistently trades through the Red Sea and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and restrictions to this valuable waterway brings trouble to the US economy and energy resources.