Amid the risk of conflict spreading across the Middle East from the Israel-Hamas conflict in the Gaza Strip, tensions in the Red Sea, and US-UK attacks on Houthi targets in Yemen, Washington has asserted that it wants to "cool down" the region.
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| The situation in the Red Sea continues to heat up with US-UK attacks on Houthis and the movement's retaliation against ships. (Illustration photo - Source: Insurance Business) |
Reuters quoted two anonymous US officials as saying that on January 16, the US military carried out a new attack targeting four anti-ship ballistic missiles in an area controlled by Houthi forces in Yemen.
Earlier, a source from the local government of Al Bayda province in central Yemen said that the US and UK had carried out attacks on barracks in this province.
The move comes after Houthis continued to launch attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, including on January 15, when the US-owned and operated cargo ship Gibraltar Eagle was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile.
Although the US continues to launch new attacks on targets in Yemen, recently, White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby emphasized that Washington is not seeking war with the Houthi movement.
“We are not seeking to expand this campaign,” Kirby said. “The Houthis have a choice and they still have time to make the right choice.”
On the same day, January 16, AFP quoted White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan as affirming that the US is seeking to "prevent conflict from spreading and create conditions for de-escalation" in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, unlike Britain, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that his country will not participate in US-led attacks on the Houthis.
Affirming that France's approach to the Red Sea issue is only defensive, he shared that Paris will persist with its stance of "avoiding any escalation", while emphasizing that the current situation in the Red Sea does not require a military solution but a diplomatic one.
Since the Israel-Hamas conflict broke out in October 2023, the Houthis, who control much of Yemen's Red Sea coast, have vowed to carry out attacks on commercial shipping bound for Israel in a show of support for the Palestinians.
Following airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen, the movement has pledged to expand its targets into the Red Sea region.
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