Why so much concern about the turmoil in the Red Sea?

A month has passed since US and British missile and airstrikes targeted Houthi militias in Yemen. What is the result of this attack? How long will the turmoil in the Red Sea last? What is the impact on business around the world? Shakeel Anwar wrote about these issues.

What Vincent Clarke, the CEO of the world's top commercial shipping company Maersk, said a few days ago, is very worrying about the ongoing military activities in the Red Sea. In a recent interview with several newspapers, including London's Financial Times, he said he saw no signs of a return to safety for ships in the Red Sea. World trade has not seen such a crisis since the Covid pandemic. Clark openly commented that he did not think that military operations could ensure the safety of ships in the Red Sea. What the Maersk chief said, he said knowingly.

The Houthis have launched attacks in the Bab el-Mandeb strait in the southernmost part of the Red Sea since late October, targeting Israeli-bound or Israeli-carrying ships, demanding an end to the Gaza war. This waterway, crucial for transporting goods between Asia and Europe-America, has become dangerous. On November 19, a group of Houthi militias hijacked an Israeli ship named "Galaxy Leader" and took it off the coast of Yemen.

After this robbery, the United States decided and prepared to punish the Houthis. On January 12, the United States and Britain launched a massive missile strike from their warships in the Red Sea targeting Houthi military positions in various parts of Yemen. Dozens of Houthi positions have been attacked at various times over the course of a month. By US count, more than 60 Houthi military installations across Yemen have been damaged.

But there are no signs that the Houthis have given up or given up. Last week, the Houthis said they had launched a missile attack on a US-owned ship in the Red Sea off the coast of Yemen. At least two missiles "directly hit" the Star Iris ship, various media reported, citing Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari. But the US military claimed the ship was owned by Greece and was carrying corn from Brazil to Iran.

Regardless of who owns the ship or its destination, the attack shows once again that the Houthis are still determined to confront the United States. In an interview with Saudi newspaper Al Sharq Al Aswa, Houthi spokesman Abdus Salam reiterated that attacks on ships bound for Israel will continue as long as the aggression in Gaza continues.