Recently, the United States and several countries announced the formation of an alliance in the Red Sea to begin escort ships in response to recent Houthi attacks in Yemen. In response, Houthi leaders threatened to use missiles and drones in the event of a military strike by the United States and other countries. This indicates that the situation in the Red Sea region may face further escalation.
The cause of the incident was the recent announcement by US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that the United States had taken the lead in organizing troops from 10 countries, including France, the United Kingdom, and Canada, to carry out escort operations in the Red Sea to protect the safety of shipping. The U.S. side claimed that the move was a countermeasure to Yemen's Houthi support for anti-Israel groups to attack Israel.
Subsequently, Houthi leader Abdul Malik Houthi announced that if the United States attacked the Houthis, it would use missiles and drones to retaliate. He also threatened that the Houthis were in the midst of a general mobilization and that if the U.S. military reached Yemen, it would suffer a "worse defeat than the Vietnam War."
The threat of the Houthis is not unfounded. The group is highly armed, possessing not only a large number of conventional weapons such as rockets, but also various means of long-range strikes, including missiles. In recent years, Saudi coalition forces have been repeatedly targeted during Yemen's civil war.
In addition, the Houthis have always had close ties with Iran. There are fears that Iran may secretly provide various types of weapons and equipment. As a result, U.S.-led escort operations in the Red Sea are at high risk of escalating into armed conflict.
At present, we call on all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint and avoid a further escalation of the situation. The situation in Yemen is already in a serious humanitarian crisis, and the relapse into the fighting will undoubtedly make matters worse for the Yemeni people. We suggest that the US side should avoid direct military confrontation with the Houthis while ensuring the security of the Red Sea route.
The situation in the Middle East is fragile and must not afford a new war or conflict. We hope that all parties concerned will respond cautiously from the perspective of maximizing the well-being of the Yemeni people to prevent the situation from deteriorating.