Reasons why we had to act
Why are Houthis attacking ships? The Iran-backed militants are reacting to Israel’s war in Gaza with devastating effects on international maritime trade.
Who are the Houthis?
The rebel Shia group seized Yemen’s capital Sana’a in 2014 sparking a vicious civil war. They are used by Iran as a proxy force against the Saudis and other enemies.
What does the rest of the region think?
While condemning the Gaza war, most don’t want the conflict to widen for global economic reasons.
Where is Yemen?
The Middle East’s poorest country has Saudi Arabia to its north, the Red Sea to the West, the Gulf of Aden to the south and Oman to the east. A Saudi-led coalition has intervened to oppose the Houthi rebels and at least 150,000 have died in the fighting.
Why is the UK the only nation joining American attacks?
The RAF has a long history of working alongside US counterparts. The UK is part of a 13-nation mission to protect Red Sea shipping. But there are claims Italy turned the US down, saying its parliamentary process was too slow to get approval.
Isn’t this Israel’s problem?
Not really, since Houthi attacks are felt by western countries despite being caused by the war in Gaza. The Houthis say they target Israeli ships but attacks have been indiscriminate. Commentators think our involvement was unavoidable. But there is a real danger of the UK being sucked into a
wider conflict.
Why was it so fast?
A Houthi hit on a ship could spark huge escalation. Doing nothing wasn’t an option.
Did we have to support the US? Almost certainly as we are their primary military partner.
What repercussions are likely?
Much of the extremist Islamic world will view this as the West attacking another Muslim country. It also underlines our support for Israel’s long-term right to defend itself. There may be an increase in the risk to the UK of terrorism and strengthening of the loose alliance of Russia, China and Iran against NATO.
Will peace in Gaza be the end to it?
It’s unlikely. It will take decades to rebuild and the impact has been so horrific the ripple effect on memories will last so much longer.