In response to the Houthi rebels’ escalating attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea, the US and UK have initiated airstrikes on their positions in Yemen, according to four US officials. 

This marks the first time that the Western allies have directly targeted the Iran-backed group, which has been waging a civil war against the Yemeni government since 2014.The airstrikes, which began on Wednesday, are aimed at disrupting the Houthis’ ability to launch missiles and drones from their bases in Sana’a, the capital, and other locations. A Houthi official confirmed that the “enemy” was conducting raids on Sana’a, where a witness reported hearing three loud explosions. The US and UK have accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with advanced weaponry and training, a charge that Tehran denies.

The airstrikes come after the Houthis intensified their attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, in an apparent attempt to pressure Israel to end its offensive in Gaza. Several shipping companies have halted their operations in the region, opting for the longer and more costly route around Africa. On Thursday, the US military said that the Houthis had fired an anti-ship ballistic missile into the Gulf of Aden, the 27th such attack since November 19. The missile did not hit any vessel, but raised concerns about the security of the vital waterway.

Biden Justifies Attack while Criticism Mounts

A joint operation by the US and the UK, along with allies from Australia, Bahrain, Canada, and the Netherlands, launched a series of airstrikes on Yemen last night. The targets were allegedly linked to the Houthi rebels, who have been escalating their attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea. President Joe Biden said in a statement that the strikes were a direct response to the Houthi’s use of anti-ship ballistic missiles, a first in history, which posed a grave threat to US personnel, civilian mariners, and their partners, as well as trade and navigation. He also warned that he would not hesitate to order more strikes if the Houthi attacks did not cease. “I will take any necessary measures to protect our people and the free flow of international commerce,” he said.

The Houthi rebels claimed that they had immediately counterattacked the western warships, but a senior US military official denied that any such response had occurred as of late Thursday night. Meanwhile, lawmakers from both parties criticized the Biden administration for not seeking Congressional approval before conducting the military strikes, accusing it of violating the constitutional authority of Congress to declare war.

The Attack May Backfire

As the Gaza crisis continues, the Houthis have vowed to keep up their attacks until the besieged population receives food, medicines and fuel. They also demanded an end to the “crimes in Gaza”. The Biden administration, which has not backed a ceasefire in Gaza, warned of a strong response if the Houthis did not cease fire. On Tuesday, after a barrage of drones and rockets, the administration took action.

This move has raised concerns among analysts about the risk of escalation - something the Biden administration claimed to avoid. Trita Parsi, from the Quincy Institute, questioned the effectiveness of bombing the Houthis. “Bombing them has not stopped their attacks in the past, nor prevented a full war. The Saudis can attest to that,” he said. The US had other options besides a military strike on Yemen’s Houthis, according to Giorgio Cafiero, CEO of Gulf State Analytics, a geopolitical risk consultancy based in Washington, DC. He told Al Jazeera that one option was to use Washington’s influence over Israel to pressure it into a ceasefire in Gaza. “But the Biden administration, for political reasons, has opted not to do that,” Cafiero said. “Instead, the Biden team is leading a US-led coalition that is launching military strikes against Houthi targets in the Red Sea,” he added. Cafiero warned that this could drag the US into a prolonged conflict in the Middle East. “This is not what most Americans want. Biden officials have repeatedly stated that they do not want such a scenario,” he said. “But I think the choices that the Biden team is making are pushing us towards this perilous path right now.”

Dangerous Waters may Choke Global Economy

As the Houthi rebels in Yemen intensify their attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea, shippers are forced to reroute their cargo worth more than $30 billion. The Houthi threat has caused ocean carriers and companies to alert U.S. shippers of possible delays. Backed by Iran, the Houthis have joined forces with Hamas, the Palestinian group that is fighting Israel. They have launched assaults on several ships near El Mandeb, taking hostages and shooting at them.

The Suez Canal, a vital economic lifeline for the world, is a man-made waterway that lets ships avoid the long and dangerous route around the Cape of Good Hope. The canal facilitates the smooth movement of global trade. However, at the end of the Red Sea lies the Bab El Mandeb Strait, a narrow and strategic passage that links the Asian and European sides of the canal. The ongoing civil war in Yemen and the conflict in Gaza have made this area volatile and risky. The situation is explosive.

The instability around the Bab El Mandeb Strait could worsen the global economy, which is already suffering from the effects of the Russo-Ukrainian war and the post-pandemic recovery. If the strait is partially closed or traffic is diverted, it would result in huge delays and sharp increases in the prices of goods, raw materials, and energy. In a world that is highly interconnected, this could be disastrous, as the disruption of one trade route could have a ripple effect on the whole economy. The entire region stands on a pile of gunpowder, which, should it be set alight, will create a shockwave that will reverberate around the world as the economic consequences.