By Zhao Jun

Recently, the US and the UK launched a series of strikes against the military targets of the Yemen Houthi armed forces, and the Houthis described these sudden attacks as "American-Zionist-British aggression" and vowed to fight back. The conflict between the two sides has resulted in heightened tensions in the region and raised concerns within the international community.

Continuous military strikes against the Houthi armed forces launched by the US and the UK are a sequel to the Middle East visit of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The US took these military actions for multiple strategic considerations.

First, to safeguard the global hegemonic image of the US. The Red Sea waterway crisis created by the Houthi armed forces has triggered multiple chain reactions and generated significant negative international impacts. As the roles of the US as the "world's policeman" and "ally protector" in this incident were rendered futile, supplemented by the impetus of Blinken's fruitless trip to the Middle East, the US finally adopted the last resort to weaken Houthis' capability to attack strategic waterways, in order to solve the Red Sea crisis and reiterate its position as the global dominator.

Second, to cooperate with Israel and deter Iran. One of Houthis' objectives in manufacturing the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and Red Sea crisis is to act in concert with Hamas and minimize the possibilities for Israel to obtain supplies. Therefore, the US and the UK's military strikes against Houthis aimed at directly annihilating the supporting forces of Hamas on the one hand, and coercing Iran, the presumed mastermind behind, on the other hand.

Third, to assist in the election campaign of Biden and rebuild alliance cohesion. The persistent failure of the US Middle East policies in recent years has gradually deprived their authority in the region, producing certain negative impacts on the images of the Democratic Party and Biden himself. So, the Biden administration is trying to win domestic support for the Democrats by utilizing military means. This is one consideration, and the other is to strengthen the unity and confidence of the US alliance. In December 2023, more than 20 countries concurred with the involvement in the Operation Prosperity Guardian launched by the US-led defensive coalition to protect transportation for commercial purposes in the Red Sea. However, the operation never came to fruition due to various factors. This time, the US did not hesitate to personally carry out military strikes against the Houthi armed forces jointly with the UK, and gained support from more than 10 allies including Australia, Bahrain, Canada and the Netherlands.

Fourth, to seize the opportunity to control strategic waterways. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Red Sea waterway possess a readily apparent strategic position, but mainly serve the mutual navigation between Asia and Europe. In the long run, the US may capitalize on the confrontation with the Houthi armed forces to secure the strategic position in the seaway and devastate the Asia-Europe businesses to achieve its own strategic advantages.

Although Blinken told relevant state heads during his Middle East visit that the US military operations against Houthis would be defensive, but their large-scale military actions with the UK undoubtedly intensified the disorder in the Middle East. First, Yemen Houthi armed forces are likely to strengthen counterattacks. Judging from the scale and scope of the strikes, the US and the UK are not meant to discipline Houthis as a warning but to destroy the target, thus inevitably causing a strong rebound of Houthis.

Second, the probability of neighboring countries getting entangled in the conflict has heightened. The Biden administration has regarded his coordination of a negotiation and ceasefire between Saudi Arabia and Houthis one of his most significant diplomatic results in the Middle East. These direct military strikes against the Houthi armed forces by the US clearly indicate that the Biden administration has abandoned the endeavors to resolve the conflict between Houthis and Saudi Arabia through diplomatic means.

Finally, there is a higher probability of direct conflicts between the US and Iran. The recent assassination of a senior Iranian military commander in Syria, the shooting of a senior commander of a pro-Iranian militant group in Iraq by the US, and the major terrorist attacks in Iran have dramatically exacerbated the security situation in Iran. Iran has perceived the US and Israel as the behind-the-scenes manipulator of these series of incidents and sworn to undertake counter measures. And the Iranian Navy's actions such as seizure of a US oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman and assault on an Israeli Mossad agency in Iraq by using missiles, have undoubtedly sent a clear signal to multiple parties, conveying fearlessness towards the US and the UK's saber-rattling on the one hand, and demonstrating support and cooperation with Houthis on the other hand.

In conclusion, the US and the UK's military strikes against the Houthi armed forces have undeniably heightened the unpredictability of the Middle East situation. The Red Sea crisis may be temporarily calmed down under the strong intervention of the US and the UK, but is highly likely to fall into the vicious circle of strike, retaliation and counter-retaliation from the long run. If the US and the UK do not promptly cease the use of military force and switch towards a political solution, these military strikes will only be degraded into coerced enactment, resulting in continuous spillover of the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict.

(The author is an associate professor of the Middle East Studies Institute of Shanghai International Studies University.)

Editor's note: Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.