The strikes risk further fanning the flames of a wider regionaI conflict that neither the US nor the Houthis’ backers in Iran appear to want. Houthi rebels launched a series of attacks on commercial ships and Western military vessels in the Red Sea, a major artery for international trade. Houthi forces seize and board the cargo ship Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on November 19, 2023. The clashes will also continue to give Tehran leverage, argues IISS’s Momtaz, as evidenced by the strikes in Yemen on Thursday. “They need to restore freedom of navigation and secure international trade in the Red Sea while continuing to make sure that the other fronts don’t escalate into a real war.”

---

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Israel, ” Biden, ”, Rym Momtaz, Amir Levy, Parsi, Benjamin ) Netanyahu, ” Parsi, Biden, IISS’s Momtaz Organizations: Lebanon CNN, US, United Nations ’, Galaxy, Houthi Media, European Foreign Policy, Security, Quincy Institute Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Yemen, Red, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Tehran, Saudi Arabia, Houthi, Israeli