The British-owned Merlin Luanda oil tanker burst into flames in the Gulf of Aden after being hit by a Houthi missile.
by Dominic Waghorn, International Affairs Editor @Dominic Waghorn
Saturday 27 January 2024 13:10, UK
The Houthi attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Yemen is a significant escalation and suggests that the Anglo-American strategy to deter and weaken the Houthi threat is failing.
The question of who will own the ship is unclear. The discussion of Britain's relationship with Merlin Luanda is a bit off base.
The point is that Houthis They claim they attacked because they believe Britain owns it.
Follow the latest updates: US destroys Houthi anti-ship missile in Yemen
That's important because this week the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak He said he allowed another. airstrike round Send a message to the Houthis: Stop attacking international shipping in the Red Sea.
It's always going to be a gamble. That show of force will make the Houthis reconsider what they have to lose from an Anglo-American attack that destroys missiles, radars and other assets.
Or it will further stir up the Houthi hornet's nest, enraging them and encouraging them to double down and do their worst.
Evidence from last night's attack points to the latter outcome. The Houthis have launched attacks in a variety of ways. They're saying, “We'll see your air strikes and raise the stakes.''
And their response is also escalating. The oil tanker they attacked was not even in the Red Sea. Its cargo is also important. The international economy is most sensitive to attacks on fuel.
The prime minister and foreign ministry officials insist that what is happening in the Red Sea has nothing to do with what is happening in Gaza. That's wrong.
Prime Minister says strike has nothing to do with Gaza
The Houthis' full-scale attack on international shipping comes a month after an Israeli attack there, and they say they are acting in solidarity with their Arab brethren there.
One can also doubt the sincerity of that unity. Skeptics will say this is more about gaining support in Arab neighborhoods. That goal is certainly being achieved.
But the fact remains that the Houthis started this because of the war in Gaza, and when it ends they will probably end it too.
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As Marco Forgione, director of the Export International Institute, told another broadcaster today, one way to end attacks on ships in the Red Sea is for Israel to stop its attacks in Gaza.
Britain and the United States have so far stood by their support for the Israeli operation, despite the deaths of more than 25,000 Palestinians.
It is understandable but misleading that the UK and US are trying to separate military action against the Houthis from Israel and Gaza.
But even more worrying for Downing Street, the White House and military planners is that their actions appear to be backfiring. To make the Red Sea safe again, allies must completely eradicate the Houthi threat to shipping.
That will not be possible as long as the Houthis maintain missile and drone capabilities, no matter how small, in Yemen's desert regions.
The coalition's offensive against the Houthis has made them heroes in Yemen and further afield. In that sense, rather than being weakened by the air strikes, they were actually strengthened.
The Houthis are squeezing the gap between international commerce and luring the UK and US into attacking them, which may only make matters worse.
