EXPERT COMMENT
Air strikes will not prevent further attacks in the Red Sea but have already regionalized Yemen's civil war and delayed the fragile peace process.
US and UK air strikes on Yemen on 11 and 12 January were characterized by the Biden administration as ‘a clear message' that the US will not ‘allow hostile actors to imperil freedom of navigation' in the Red Sea. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak described the strikes as ‘limited, necessary and proportionate action in self-defence'.
The air strikes come after the Houthis ignored calls to end their assaults, including a private formal letter delivered to the group leadership by the UK on behalf of the international community (according to various senior Houthi leaders).
The US/ UK strikes are presumably intended as the only possible bad choice to pressure the Houthis to end their hostile activity. But these strikes are largely symbolic, mostly a response to pressure from local actors, shipping firms and other interests who have seen costs rise during the last months of Houthi attacks. One shipping company has already expressed its approval for the operation.
The questions are what actual effect will these air strikes have on Houthi operations, how will the Houthis respond, and what broader impact will the events have on the region?
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