Le Monde newspaper said that the tension in the Red Sea, with the United States and the United Kingdom responding to Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the name of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, are all evidence of regional instability.
The newspaper explained in its editorial that the violent American response – supported by Britain – to the Houthis was inevitable, at a time when the devastating attack launched by Israel on Gaza entered its fourth month.
The newspaper warned that the Houthi attacks, which they say target cargo ships heading to Israel alone, will have dire consequences on a global scale if they end in preventing navigation in this vital axis, forcing the United States to adopt a form of geopolitical balance.
Through intense bombing of Houthi positions, who have shown great resilience in the past, the United States is playing into the hands of the group, which can use this confrontation to justify its iron grip on the territories, according to Le Monde.
The difficulty faced by the United States in establishing a naval coalition – aimed at preventing these attacks – shows the extent of the existing obstacles, and the embarrassment experienced by neighboring countries – led by Saudi Arabia – reflects the fear of an escalation that will only lead to more losses, especially since Riyadh is only thinking about… In reaching a truce, in preparation for disengaging from the Yemeni dilemma in which it has been involved since 2015, according to the newspaper.
This matter was the subject of difficult negotiations – currently suspended – with Sanaa, as well as with the internationally recognized Yemeni government, with support from the Saudis – according to the newspaper – and any slippage would serve the interests of Iran, which militarily supports the Houthi movement, which is ideologically close to Tehran.
Perhaps Yemen, which has been mired in a civil war for a decade that has caused a humanitarian catastrophe, will also not survive the interruption of navigation in the Red Sea, as the food aid on which the majority of the population depends passes through the port of Hodeidah, which is under the control of the Houthis.
Le Monde concluded that these tensions clearly indicate the regional instability that the war on Gaza has increased tenfold, and it confirms many humanitarian considerations that strongly call for an end to a war that makes this narrow strip of land uninhabitable, not only for the leaders of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). But for all Palestinian civilians trapped there.