For months, top US officials have repeatedly said that President Joe Biden does not want to see Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip escalate into a wider Middle East conflict. This was the message US Secretary of State Antony Blinken conveyed during his fourth visit to the region since the war began. His trip coincided with Israeli attacks on Lebanon and attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on vessels in the Red Sea.
There was, however, contention with these statements when the US confirmed working with the United Kingdom to launch strikes on targets in Yemen used by the Houthi rebels, as well as support from other countries. Experts and rights advocates have warned against these attacks due to their contrast with the Biden administration’s goals and the failure to address the root cause of the soaring tensions in the region, the Israeli military assault in Gaza.
Red Sea attacks in the key commercial thoroughfare have led to shipping companies suspending operations and widespread condemnation. A senior US official revealed that more than 150 munitions were used to hit nearly 30 locations in Yemen linked to the Houthi armed group. The Houthi rebel group has fired missiles at Israel and commercial ships following the start of the war on Gaza, with the goal of pressuring the Israeli government to end its Gaza bombardment.
Despite the US’s expressed desire to avoid a wider regional war, these actions paint a contradictory picture. This has prompted criticism from experts, with Hassan El-Tayyab from the Friends Committee on National Legislation emphasizing the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and the dangerous escalation of tensions.
It is widely expected that the US would launch attacks against the Houthis in Yemen given the escalating Red Sea confrontations, which the administration and experts argue is in relation to the conflict in Gaza and the US’s military support for Israel. Conversely, the administration has emphasized its directives to protect its people and freedom of navigation but has not acknowledged the Gaza conflict as the root cause of the situation.
Additionally, experts and advocates believe that a ceasefire in Gaza could de-escalate regional tensions and have a positive impact across various regions. Shireen Al-Adeimi, a Yemeni American assistant professor, emphasized that action and words do not align, while Trita Parsi, author and CEO of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, highlighted the need for diplomacy as the way out of the current situation.